Advocating for change with Uber
Policy reform giving people with disability the freedom of choice most take for granted
History Will Be Kind helped Uber demonstrate the life-changing impact of rideshare for Australians with disability - driving awareness of a landmark national trial and advocating for policy reform through high impact lived experience storytelling and a powerful event at NSW Parliament House.
Client: Uber
Industry: Technology / Mobility / Disability Advocacy
Campaign Type: Policy & Advocacy | Research Launch | Media Relations
Market: Australia (National)
Services Provided: Strategic Counsel, Stakeholder Management, Event Management, Media Relations, Lived Experience Case Studies
Campaign Period: 2025
Primary Objective: Build public and political support for including rideshare in state-funded transport subsidy schemes
Key Results: National media coverage secured; parliamentary launch event delivered
Our Challenge
For millions of Australians living with disability, access to transport is not a convenience - it is a gateway to independence, healthcare, employment and community participation. Yet Australia's state-based taxi subsidy schemes, which fund transport for eligible people with disability, had not kept pace with the rise of rideshare platforms. Uber was excluded from these schemes in all states and territories (except Victoria), leaving participants locked into a single-provider model that limited choice, flexibility and dignity. Uber needed to make a compelling, evidence-based case for systemic reform demonstrating not just commercial interest, but genuine, measurable impact for people with disability. The challenge was to shift a complex policy conversation through the power of real human stories, credible research and meaningful stakeholder engagement, while navigating a politically sensitive environment and building a broad coalition of support. To build a strong proof of concept, Uber engaged GSA to run an independent 12-week national trial to explore the outcomes of giving people with disability more freedom to choose their mode of transport. The results were overwhelmingly positive, so our brief was to amplify the story with maximum impact.
Strategic Approach
Our strategy centred on transforming lived experience into policy evidence by creating an unquestionable public case for reform built on the voices of the disability community, backed by data and amplified through credible advocacy partnerships.
Strategic Pillars:
- Evidence first. Use the data, insights, stories and feedback from the robust report GSA developed following its landmark national trial to inform the campaign narrative and media angles.
- By the community, for the community. Work alongside Uber and GSA to activate a broad coalition of respected disability organisations including Vision Australia, Carers Australia, Children and Young People with Disability Australia and Disability Voices Tasmania, ensuring the campaign was informed by community involvement and consultation.
- Amplifying the voices of lived experience. Place the stories of trial participants at the heart of all communications, ensuring the campaign was credible and being driven by community experience rather than corporate advocacy.
- Mobilising government and media. Create a high-profile launch event at NSW Parliament House to signal the policy seriousness of the campaign, engage key decision-makers directly, and generate national media coverage to get constituents invested in the story.
Execution
Strategic Council & Stakeholder Management
HWBK lead the communications planning for the campaign with a focus on message development and editorial strategy. This included mapping the policy and stakeholder landscape, advising on framing and positioning, and managing relationships with GSA and the broader coalition of disability advocacy organisations. We ensured all partners were aligned on messaging and timing, and that the campaign spoke with one credible voice.
Lived Experience Case Studies
Working closely with trial participants, we developed a suite of powerful lived experience case studies for use across media, digital and event channels. These stories - of people finding new independence, accessing healthcare, returning to work, or simply feeling safer - became the emotional and evidentiary backbone of the campaign. We handled sensitive stakeholder relationships with care, ensuring participants felt respected and in control of how their stories were told.
Event Management
HWBK worked alongside Uber and its partners to deliver the campaign launch at NSW Parliament House – a deliberately high-profile setting chosen to signal the policy stakes of the reform agenda. The event brought together Members of Parliament, members of the disability community and key stakeholders. We produced a moderated panel discussion featuring Uber's Emma Foley, trial participants and Chris Edwards from Vision Australia, with Zack Alcott from GSA moderating. The format centred community voices while giving media and politicians direct access to the evidence and the people behind it.
Media Relations
We developed and executed a targeted media strategy to extend the reach of the campaign beyond the launch room. We secured coverage that took the story into the national conversation, coupled with targeted metro, lifestyle and trade outlets to build momentum. Media outreach was targeted to maximise relevance, pairing data from the trial report with compelling personal stories to drive earned coverage across national and specialist outlets.
Results Paratransit national trial
98%
Trial participant support for permanent rideshare inclusion
4+ national organisations
Disability advocacy organisations endorsing reform
Nearly 150
Trial participants across Australia
12 weeks
Trial duration
Media results
101
Total number of earned media stories
7 million +
Combined potential editorial reach
88%
Articles in top-tier outlets
100%
Uber spokesperson cut-through
100%
Positive sentiment
Key Takeaways
This campaign demonstrated that evidence-based advocacy, powered by lived experience and built on genuine community coalition, can shift entrenched policy positions. By centring the voices of people with disability rather than corporate messaging, and by creating a credible research foundation through the GSA trial, HWBK helped Uber make an unquestionable case for urgent reform. The campaign also showed the power of a well-chosen venue and moment: a parliamentary launch transformed what could have been a product announcement into a genuine policy event, commanding the attention of decision-makers and media alike.
External Links & Recognition
- Research Report - Get Skilled Access x Uber: National Paratransit Trial Findings (2025)
- Highlight Media Coverage:
- "Ticket to rideshare: disability groups call for change” |Jennifer Dudley Nicholson, AAP
- “Disability advocates call for reform of transport subsidy scheme after rideshare trial” |Rebecca Masters, 9News
- “Uber trial gives choice in disability transport” |Heidi Bain, Link Magazine
- Uber Newsroom
Social Media Campaign
Maille Australia
Bronze Winner
Integrated Marketing & Comms Campaign
Hilton
Gold Winner
Best Use of Social Media
Hilton
Bronze Winner
Consumer Campaign
Little Moons
Silver Winner
History Will Be Kind - Proudly part of the Deepend Group
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