Michigan Paralyzed Veterans of America Launch ThePumpGuide.com, An Interactive Web Site Offering Gas Stations for Drivers With Disabilities

NOVI, Mich., Nov. 26, 2003 -- Just in time for the holiday travel season, Michigan Paralyzed Veterans of America (MPVA) has launched a new interactive Web site for drivers with disabilities, www.ThePumpGuide.com .

The Pump Guide is an online directory of gas stations that will pump gas for drivers with disabilities at the self-serve price. Through a relationship with the Associated Petroleum Industries of Michigan, MPVA has recruited stations across the state to participate in this program.

The Pump Guide is more than a listing of gas stations. Through a partnership with Maps.com, MPVA has developed a dynamic tool that allows users to:

  *  Search by county within the Upper and Lower Peninsula;
  *  Search for stations near a specific location or ZIP code; or
  *  Plan a trip using driving directions with all of the participating
     stations along their route.

In addition to hours of service and station location, many stations also list specific services that they have including car washes, ATM machines, accessible restrooms and other amenities.

"In the last few years, people with disabilities have really gained independence through the new adaptive technologies for vehicles. Unfortunately, as the number of drivers with disabilities increases, so has the number of self-serve gas stations," said Michigan PVA Deputy Executive Director Michael Harris. "This makes it difficult for drivers to fill their tanks when they are traveling and decreases that new-found independence."

Harris, who is a paraplegic, came up with the idea of an online directory of gas stations for drivers with disabilities while on a business trip in 2001. A familiar full-service station was now self-serve, and he had to drive for several miles until he found a station that would pump his gas. When he returned to the MPVA office later that day, he began his work on The Pump Guide.

In the past, there was a printed version of The Pump Guide, but the information became outdated long before a new version could be printed. Harris realized that developing a Web site would allow drivers with disabilities to access the information quickly and any updates to the information could be made very quickly.

ThePumpGuide.com is launching with gas stations in Michigan, but if the program is successful here, MPVA plans to partner with the petroleum associations and PVA chapters in other states across the country to offer a nationwide resource for drivers with disabilities. Future plans also include developing a toll-free number for drivers with disabilities who do not use the Internet.

About Michigan PVA:

Michigan Paralyzed Veterans of America (MPVA) is a nonprofit organization providing programs, advocacy and assistance for veterans in Michigan who have spinal cord injuries or diseases, including Multiple Sclerosis and ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). A nonprofit organization based in Novi, Mich., MPVA is a member chapter of Washington, D.C.-based Paralyzed Veterans of America. For more information on MPVA, call us at 1-800-638 MPVA or visit us on the Web at www.michiganpva.org .