The U.S. Justice Department has filed a lawsuit[1] against Uber, accusing the ride-hailing company of violating federal law by discriminating against people with physical disabilities.
In particular, the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) civil rights division claims that the company and its drivers “routinely refuse to serve individuals with disabilities, including individuals who travel with service animals or who use stowable wheelchairs.”
Uber is also accused of charging extra fees on riders who need special accommodations, including cancellation fees when service is denied. These actions and others listed in the complaint violate the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to the DOJ.
“Despite the importance of its services to people with disabilities, Uber denies people with disabilities full and equal enjoyment of its services in several critical ways,” lawyers for the DOJ wrote. “Uber also refuses to reasonably modify its policies, practices, or procedures where necessary to avoid discriminating against riders with disabilities.”
This has caused “significant economic, emotional, and physical harm to individuals with disabilities,” the DOJ argues.
Uber, in a statement, said it “fundamentally” disagrees with the DOJ’s allegations and said it has a “a clear zero-tolerance policy[2] for confirmed service denials.”
“Every driver must acknowledge and agree to comply with our U.S. Service Animal Policy and all applicable accessibility laws before using the Uber Driver app, and we regularly remind drivers of these obligations. When we confirm a violation, we take decisive action, including permanent account deactivation,” the company wrote.
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Uber has long faced accusations that its services are discriminatory toward people with physical disabilities. The DOJ sued the company in 2021 for overcharging those passengers. The company ultimately reached a settlement with the DOJ in 2022 where it paid out millions of dollars to more than 65,000 affected users[3]. Uber has also been hit with a number of personal lawsuits from passengers who’ve alleged similar discrimination and faced public protests[4].
The DOJ says in the complaint, which was filed in federal court Thursday in California’s Northern District, that it alerted Uber in 2024 to the fact that the company’s treatment of disabled riders was being investigated. According to the complaint, after Uber became aware of this, the company rolled out a feature[5] where passengers could self-identify that they were riding with service animals.
This story has been updated with a statement from Uber.
References
- ^ lawsuit (www.documentcloud.org)
- ^ policy (www.uber.com)
- ^ millions of dollars to more than 65,000 affected users (techcrunch.com)
- ^ public protests (techcrunch.com)
- ^ rolled out a feature (www.uber.com)