A few days ago a rider wrote to us. He is Deaf. He booked a Tinka, and the driver did what drivers on every ride app do: he called. The rider explained, in the only way he could, that he is Deaf and can only communicate by text. The trip never happened, and he left feeling unsafe.

He was right to tell us. Ride apps are built on an assumption nobody questions: that everyone can take a phone call. For thousands of Deaf and hard of hearing Ugandans, that assumption is a locked door.

So we changed the app. Tinka now has a Deaf-friendly mode, and as far as we know, Tinka is Uganda's first homegrown ride app to have one.

What Deaf-friendly mode does

One tick. Choose "I'm Deaf or hard of hearing" when you sign up, or switch it on any time in Settings. It works for riders and for drivers.
Your driver knows before pickup. The trip offer says "Deaf rider — message only", and the driver gets a reminder the moment they accept.
No calls. The driver's Call button becomes a Message button. Everything happens in the in-app chat.
Pickups without speaking. Quick replies like "I've arrived" and "Where are you?" take one tap.

Deaf drivers, too

Driving is a livelihood, and it should be open to everyone. Deaf drivers can switch on the same mode: new trip requests flash on screen and vibrate strongly instead of relying on a ringtone, riders are asked to message instead of calling, and a Deaf driver is never marked down just because a rider couldn't phone them.

Respect is part of safety

If anyone is rude to, mocks or frightens a Deaf rider or driver, report it on the trip. Tinka treats it as a serious safety report, alongside everything that already protects every ride: face-verified drivers, pickup codes and one-tap SOS. And our support team can always be reached by text on WhatsApp. We will never insist on a phone call.

To the rider who wrote to us: thank you. This is for you, and for everyone who has ever been left on the roadside by a phone call they couldn't answer.

See how Deaf-friendly mode works →