The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has sued Uber Technologies for discriminating against passengers with disabilities, including those who use wheelchairs or service animals.
The DOJ announced on Sept. 11 that it was suing the ride-hailing company “under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for discriminating against passengers with disabilities, including blind individuals who use service animals and those who use mobility devices, including stowable wheelchairs, by routinely refusing to serve these individuals, imposing impermissible charges, and refusing to reasonably modify Uber’s policies to avoid discrimination.”
A follow-up announcement on Sept. 12 added that the DOJ “seeks $125 million for individuals who have been subject to discrimination and previously submitted complaints to Uber or the Department.”
The ADA requires companies such as Uber, commonly referred to rideshare providers, to transport service animals with their owners and “to provide rides to, and assist, riders with stowable wheelchairs and mobility devices,” the Sept. 12 announcement said.
Instead Uber and its drivers “routinely” add “impermissible” vehicle-cleaning fees after transporting service animals, refuse rides to people with disabilities, deny passengers the option of sitting in the front seat, and impose cancellation fees on those passengers who’ve been denied service. Additionally, Uber has refused to change its policies to avoid such discrimination.
“Due to Uber’s ride denials, individuals with disabilities have experienced significant delays, missed appointments and have been left stranded in inclement weather,” the DOJ’s Sept. 12 announcement said.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
“Rideshare companies like Uber are prohibited from denying riders with disabilities the same access to transportation that riders without disabilities enjoy,” said U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian of the Northern District of California. “This complaint underscores the United States’ commitment to enforcing the ADA’s promise of equal access.”
Uber settled a November 2021 lawsuit filed by the DOJ over Uber’s wait-time fees. “The wait-time fees started two minutes after the Uber car arrived at the pickup location and were charged until the car began its trip,” the DOJ said in a July 2022 press release. “The department’s complaint alleged that Uber violated the ADA by failing to reasonably modify its wait time fee policy for passengers who, because of disability, needed more than two minutes to get in an Uber car. Passengers with disabilities may need additional time to enter a car for various reasons,” including time needed to store wheelchairs and other mobility devices.
Uber paid approximately $2.2 million to settle that lawsuit and also ended up crediting the accounts of more than 65,000 passengers impacted.
The company now gives passengers the option of requesting a wait-time refund or waiver if they need more than a few minutes to board the Uber driver’s vehicle.
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