Uber is being sued for the second time in four years by the Justice Department over complaints about its ride-sharing service’s treatment of customers with disabilities.
According to the lawsuit, a copy of which was published online by the TechCrunch websiteIt is alleged that the company “routinely refuses to serve people with disabilities, including people who travel with service animals or who use folding wheelchairs.”
The lawsuit also accuses Uber of imposing cleaning surcharges related to service animals and charging cancellation fees to disabled passengers who have been denied service.
“And Uber drivers insult and demean people with disabilities or ask them inappropriate questions,” the lawsuit states.
In a statement provided to CNET, Uber said: “Passengers who use guide dogs or other assistance devices deserve a safe, respectful and welcoming experience at Uber, period. We have a clear zero tolerance.” policy for confirmed denials of services, and we fundamentally disagree with the Justice Department’s allegations.”
The company pointed to the American service animal. policy, that all drivers must agree to, and says “decisive action, including permanent account deactivation,” is taken when that policy is violated.
“We continue to invest in technology, training and dedicated reporting channels, such as a 24/7 service animal rejection hotline, to ensure passengers can quickly alert us so we can investigate and address issues,” the statement said. “We remain deeply committed to expanding access and continually improving the experience for passengers with disabilities.”
The company also pointed to a page provides where passengers can file a complaint.
In 2021, the Department of Justice sued Uber for charging wait time fees to disabled customers who needed extra time to get to their rides. That the lawsuit was resolved in 2022.
While a company like Uber may have a lot of money to settle a case like this, the Justice Department’s goal may be to raise awareness about violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
“On-the-ground enforcement of the ADA by the Department of Justice and private parties is critically important both as it relates to the specific cases at hand and also more generally as a message that disability discrimination is prohibited by federal law and will not be tolerated,” said Shira Wakschlag, general counsel of the The arch of the United Statesa nonprofit organization 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 fulfilled,” he said.
In addition to the web pages and app options Uber offers to report cases of poor customer service or discrimination, Wakschlag said customers can also report discrimination directly to the Department of Justice through its website or work with organizations like The Arc that can file complaints.
“The media can also play an important role in getting these stories out of court so that the general public understands what is at stake and how it affects people in the real world,” he says.
Separately, Uber is also facing a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit from earlier this year, when the agency accused the company of deceptive pricing practices related to its Uber One subscription service.