NYC customers with disabilities sue Uber
Suit says company offers scant access to accessible cars.
Uber has discriminated against New York City riders with disabilities by providing scant access to cars that can accommodate their wheelchairs, a new class-action lawsuit against the ride-hailing company says.
While Uber offers wheelchair-accessible cars through its UberWAV service, the lawsuit says that these special cars, which typically have lifts and ramps for mobility devices, account for fewer than 100 of the 58,000 forhire cars dispatched by Uber in the five boroughs. Moreover, this already limited pool of cars can be used for other riders, and may be unavailable when needed by those with disabilities, the lawsuit said.
The result, according to the lawsuit, is that “even when an UberWAV vehicle is technically available, because so few exist, there are typically frequent and lengthy delays.” It added, “As such, people who use wheelchairs and use UberWAV must contend with missed appointments, being late for events and other stress and inconvenience.”
The 31-page lawsuit was filed Tuesday morning in state Supreme Court in Manhattan by Disability Rights Advocates, a national nonprofit organization, on behalf of a coalition of advocacy groups and individuals including the Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled, Taxis for All Campaign and Disabled in Action of Metropolitan New York.
The Taxis for All Campaign previously led a similar lawsuit over yellow taxis, which in 2013 resulted in a settlement that requires half of all yellow taxis to be wheelchair accessible by 2020.
The lawsuit says that in discriminating against riders with disabilities, Uber has violated the city’s human rights laws, and is asking the court to require Uber to “develop and implement a remedial plan to ensure full and equal access to its services for riders who require accessible transportation.”
“Uber claims it’s a revolutionary company, but it’s engaged in old-fashioned discrimination against people with disabilities from its first day in New York City,” said Joe Rappaport, executive director of the Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled. “Our lawsuit against Uber’s discrimination makes it clear: It’s 2017, not the 1950s, when it comes to equal access to transportation.”
The lawsuit is the latest challenge for the troubled ride-hailing company, whose chief executive, Travis Kalanick, was forced out amid widespread criticism over the company’s handling of sexual harassment, executive misbehavior and its own internal culture.