Uber sued by DOJ for alleged discrimination against disabled riders

KEY POINTS

• The Department of Justice sued Uber, alleging the ride-hailing giant discriminated against riders with disabilities, according to a filing.
• The DOJ alleged that Uber and its drivers "routinely refuse to serve individuals with disabilities, including individuals who travel with service animals or who use stowable wheelchairs."
• The federal government is seeking a jury trial and injunctive relief, monetary damages and to charge Uber a civil fine for what it says are violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

A man holds up a smartphone with the Uber app visible on screen, as taxis queue in the background on June 4, 2019.

Olly Curtis | Future via Getty Images

The Department of Justice sued Uber on Thursday, alleging the ride-hailing giant discriminated against riders with disabilities, according to a filing.

"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," the complaint, filed in a federal court in San Francisco, reads.

The DOJ alleged that Uber and its drivers "routinely refuse to serve individuals with disabilities, including individuals who travel with service animals or who use stowable wheelchairs," that the company imposes "impermissible surcharges by charging cleaning fees related to service animals and cancellation fees to riders they have unlawfully denied service."

The complaint also alleged that drivers "insult and demean people with disabilities or ask them inappropriate questions."

"We have a clear zero-tolerance policy for confirmed service denials, and we fundamentally disagree with the DOJ's allegation," the company said in a statement.

The company said its Community Guidelines prohibit discrimination, and earlier this year announced a new feature to bolster the experience for riders with service animals, including a video for drivers to further explain the policy.

The DOJ accused Uber of refusing to "reasonably modify" its policies and practices to avoid discriminating against people with disabilities.

The federal government is seeking a jury trial and injunctive relief, monetary damages and to charge Uber a civil fine for what it says are violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The ADA was passed and signed into law by President George H.W. Bush on July 26, 1990. According to the most recent available CDC data, "over 61 million U.S. adults, or 1 in 4, report having a disability."