Justice Department Sues Uber For Allegedly Discriminating Against People With Disabilities

The U.S. Justice Department has revenge a lawsuit against Uber, accusing nan ride-hailing institution of violating national rule by discriminating against group pinch beingness disabilities.

In particular, nan Department of Justice’s (DOJ) civilian authorities section claims that nan institution and its drivers “routinely garbage to service individuals pinch disabilities, including individuals who recreation pinch work animals aliases who usage stowable wheelchairs.”

Uber is besides accused of charging other fees connected riders who request typical accommodations, including cancellation fees erstwhile work is denied. These actions and others listed successful nan title break nan Americans pinch Disabilities Act, according to nan DOJ.

“Despite nan value of its services to group pinch disabilities, Uber denies group pinch disabilities afloat and adjacent enjoyment of its services successful respective captious ways,” lawyers for nan DOJ wrote. “Uber besides refuses to reasonably modify its policies, practices, aliases procedures wherever basal to debar discriminating against riders pinch disabilities.”

This has caused “significant economic, emotional, and beingness harm to individuals pinch disabilities,” nan DOJ argues.

Uber did not instantly respond to emailed requests for comment.

Uber has agelong faced accusations that its services are discriminatory toward group pinch beingness disabilities. The DOJ sued nan institution successful 2021 for overcharging those passengers. The institution yet reached a colony pinch nan DOJ successful 2022 wherever it paid retired millions of dollars to much than 65,000 affected users. Uber has besides been deed pinch a number of individual lawsuits from passengers who’ve alleged akin favoritism and faced public protests.

The DOJ says successful nan complaint, which was revenge successful national tribunal Thursday successful California’s Northern District, that it alerted Uber successful 2024 to nan truth that nan company’s curen of abnormal riders was being investigated. According to nan complaint, aft Uber became alert of this, nan institution rolled retired a feature wherever passengers could self-identify that they were riding pinch work animals.