Uber is being sued for the second time in four years by the Department of Justice over complaints about its ridesharing service’s treatment of customers with disabilities.
According to the suit, a copy of which was posted online by the website TechCrunch, the company is alleged to “routinely refuse to serve individuals with disabilities, including individuals who travel with service animals or who use stowable wheelchairs.”
The lawsuit also accuses Uber of imposing cleaning surcharges related to service animals and charging cancellation fees to disabled riders who’ve been denied service.
“And Uber’s drivers insult and demean people with disabilities or ask them inappropriate questions,” the suit states.
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In a statement provided to CNET, Uber said: “Riders who use guide dogs or other assistive devices deserve a safe, respectful, and welcoming experience on Uber — full stop. We have a clear zero-tolerance policy for confirmed service denials, and we fundamentally disagree with the DOJ’s allegations.”
The company pointed to the US Service Animal policy, which all drivers are required to agree to, and says it takes “decisive action, including permanent account deactivation” when that policy is violated.
“We continue to invest in technology, training, and dedicated reporting channels — such as a 24/7 service animal denial hotline — to ensure riders can quickly alert us so we can investigate and address issues,” the statement said. “We remain deeply committed to expanding access and continuously improving the experience for riders with disabilities.”
The company also pointed to a page it provides where passengers can file a complaint.
In 2021, Uber was sued by the DOJ for charging wait-time fees to disabled customers who needed more time to get to their rides. That suit was settled in 2022.
While a company like Uber may have plenty of money to settle a case like this, the DOJ’s aim may be to create awareness of violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
“On-the-ground enforcement of the ADA by DOJ and private parties is critically important both with regards to the specific cases at issue but also more broadly as a message that disability discrimination is prohibited by federal law and will not be tolerated,” said Shira Wakschlag, general counsel at The Arc of the United States, a nonprofit that advocates for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
“Enforcing the ADA in cases like these is critical to ensuring that the law’s promise of creating a more accessible and inclusive world for people with disabilities is realized,” she said.
In addition to the web pages and app options Uber offers to report instances of bad customer service or discrimination, Wakschlag said customers can also report discrimination directly to the DOJ via its website or work with organizations such as The Arc that can field complaints.
“The media can also play an important role in bringing these stories out of the courtroom in a way that the general public understands what is at issue and how it impacts people in the real world,” she says.
Separately, Uber is also facing a suit from the Federal Trade Commission from earlier this year, when the agency accused the company of deceptive pricing practices related to its Uber One subscription service.