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An Uber fleet that is (finally) wheelchair-accessible.听听

As of Tuesday afternoon, London is the latest of聽聽worldwide with Uber vehicles that can聽accommodate聽all wheelchair types, an improvement over only accepting folding wheelchairs.听听

Wheelchair-accessibility聽is one of聽the rideshare company's programs聽being聽聽to expand its services to all customers. The move comes as Uber and competitor Lyft face allegations they have聽discriminated against people with disabilities, one of a聽growing list of complaints聽facing the rideshare companies. 聽聽

UberWAV, as the program is called,聽is聽聽Ruth Owen, chief executive of Whizz-Kids, a London-based organization聽that supports聽children with disabilities,聽and one of several British聽organizations that have applauded聽Uber, told聽BBC.听听

"This new initiative will give disabled people in London a much-needed additional option for planning their travel across the [nation's] capital."聽

Members of the organization聽聽the service Tuesday.听听

Hailing an Uber vehicle that is wheelchair聽accessible聽in London will be聽easy 鈥撀�. After a customer selects the聽UberWav聽option in the mobile application, they are connected with vehicles equipped聽with ramps or lifts. The vehicles聽will be able to accommodate a second passenger in addition to the wheelchair user, the BBC reported.听听

Uber plans to invest more than聽1 million pounds (more than $14.4 million) over the first 18 months to launch聽the program, according to BBC.听听A spokesman told WashingtonNewsWire that the company is providing but planned to expand this to more than 100 "in the coming months."

The聽program is an expansion of聽UberAssist, which allows senior citizens and people with disabilities to聽聽for聽UberX, its聽cheapest rideshare聽program.听听

An聽UberWAV聽fare will be the same as聽UberX, according to BBC, which wasn't the case聽in聽Los Angeles, where the company came聽under fire for charging more for聽wheelchair-accessible聽vehicles聽than other ones.听

A ride to or from Los Angeles International Airport to downtown, a distance of about 20 miles, cost $39 to $52, according to The Los Angeles Times. Although this聽rate聽is聽similar聽to one in the company's聽sport utility vehicles,聽UberX聽.听听

"It's just blatant discrimination,"聽Marilyn Golden, a senior policy analyst at the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund in Berkeley, Calif., told The Los Angeles Times.听"They can't charge people with disabilities more money to take the vehicle that happens to be the one that's accessible to them."聽聽

In Los Angeles, a聽ride in聽an wheelchair-accessible taxi costs the same as any other cab,聽according聽to the L.A. Times.听About 10 percent of the city's 2,361 taxis can accommodate electric wheelchairs, and 1聽in 10聽Angelenos聽identify as disabled.听

Uber and Lyft, whose policy is聽,聽have drawn discrimination lawsuits, claiming they do not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Uber reached a settlement with advocates for the blind over a 2014 federal lawsuit that聽.听

Uber will also launch a聽program in Chicago,聽,聽later this month, which will offer two tiers of service, the Chicago Tribune reported. One is wheelchair-accessible聽vehicles. The other is drivers trained to assist wheelchair users and senior citizens. 聽