Justice Department Sues Uber for Allegedly Overcharging Disabled Passengers With Its Waiting Time Fees

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit against ride-hailing company Uber for allegedly overcharging disabled passengers through the imposition of extra waiting time fees.

The Department of Justice said that Uber started violating the Americans with Disabilities Act in 2016 when it started charging the waiting time fees in the target markets, according to an NBC News report. It added that those fees are now being charged across the country.

U.S. Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds for the Northern District of California said that Uber's waiting time fees affect people with disabilities. She noted that passengers with disabilities need additional boarding time and should be entitled to access ride-sharing services without discrimination.

Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general for the DoJ's civil rights division, said that the lawsuit wants to send a message that Uber cannot penalize passengers with disabilities simply because they need more time to get into a car, according to a BBC News report.

Uber's Passengers With Disabilities

It is not the first time that Uber faced issues regarding passengers with disabilities. Uber was ordered to pay a blind woman in San Francisco $1.1 million in April after the passenger was refused rides on 14 occasions. Paralympic medalist Jack Hunter-Spivey said in September that Uber and other ride-sharing companies drove off when they saw that he was a wheelchair user.

An Uber representative said on Wednesday that wait time fees are now automatically waived for riders who certify that they are disabled as of last week, according to a CBS News report. The representative also said that the said fees were never intended for passengers with disabilities who were already ready at their designated pickup location.

Uber said in a statement that they fundamentally disagree that their policies violate the ADA. The company also noted passengers who request wheelchair-accessible vehicle use or Uber Assist are not charged with wait time fees.

Uber also said that it has been their policy to refund wait time fees for disabled people once they were alerted that those passengers were charged.

Riders are charged an average of fewer than 60 cents for wait time fees.

A University of Tennessee study in 2020 found that it takes 28 percent more income for a disabled person in the U.S. to have the same standard of living as those without any disabilities.

Hinds said that the lawsuit seeks to help people with disabilities to live their lives with independence and dignity, as the disability act guarantees.

Maria Town, president and chief executive of the American Association of People with Disabilities, said that disabled people often encounter a disproportionate economic burden due to their disabilities.

Town argued that it was unfair of Uber to expect disabled passengers to use only its wheelchair-accessible services or Uber Assist, noting that there's a limited supply of these cars on the road.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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