They Should Be Held Accountable
Transportation is essential for people of all ages and backgrounds to live a fulfilling and satisfying life. It plays a vital role in many aspects of daily life, including access to employment, education, health care, and social and recreational activities. Put simply, transportation is a requirement for full participation in a community. Despite the obvious importance, people with disabilities have historically been provided with limited choices when it comes to transportation.
Rideshare services such as Uber and Lyft have become an important transportation option for Californians in recent years. If these companies delivered equal and non-discriminatory service, they could provide a great benefit to people with disabilities, who have traditionally been underserved by transportation providers. To date, however, Uber and Lyft have neglected people with disabilities in significant ways, including the failure to provide wheelchair-accessible vehicles, and the failure to ensure that drivers abstain from discrimination (e.g., refusing to transport service dogs).
In order to hold rideshare companies accountable for discrimination and facilitate improvements in service, it is important to file grievances whenever you have a discriminatory experience. Both the Uber and Lyft platforms allow users to file complaints through their apps. You can also file grievances online.
- To file a complaint with Uber: https://help.uber.com/
- To file a complaint with Lyft: https://help.lyft.com/
The filing of complaints helps document ongoing or widespread issues with the platform (or particular drivers on the platform) and is an essential way in which riders can participate in making the service more efficient and accessible to all.
In addition to filing grievances, riders who experience discrimination using Uber or Lyft can demand to arbitrate their claims. The terms of service for both platforms contain clauses that require riders to resolve disputes through mandatory arbitration and preclude them from filing suit in a court of law.
- Uber Terms of Service: https://www.uber.com/legal/terms/us/
- Lyft Terms of Service: https://www.lyft.com/terms
If you are treated unfairly by an Uber or Lyft driver, you can call the CDA for advice and/or help with arbitration.
