U.S. sues Uber, saying wait fees discriminate against disabled
The federal government is suing Uber saying it discriminates against disabled people by charging fees when drivers have to wait for passengers to board their vehicles.
Uber’s wait-time fees kick in two minutes after a driver arrives and are charged until the car begins its trip.
In its lawsuit, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Northern California, the Justice Department says Uber is violating the Americans with Disabilities Act for failing to modify its fees for those who need extra time to get into an Uber car.
The lawsuit alleges that Uber charged the fees even when it was aware that a delay was disability-based.
Uber said Wednesday it has been in discussions with the Justice Department and was surprised and disappointed by the lawsuit.
“Wait time fees are charged to all riders to compensate drivers after two minutes of waiting, but were never intended for riders who are ready at their designated pickup
location but need more time to get into the car,” Uber said in a statement.
Uber said its policy is to refund wait-time fees for disabled riders whenever they alerted the company they were charged. As of last week, any rider who certifies they are disabled will have the fees automatically
waived, the company said.
The San Francisco-based company says the average wait-time fee charged to riders is less than 60 cents.
“We fundamentally disagree that our policies violate the ADA and will keep improving our products to support everyone’s ability to
easily move around their communities,” Uber said.
The lawsuit asks the court to order Uber to change its policy, train its staff and drivers and pay monetary damages to people who were subject to wait-time fees that violated the ADA. It also wants Uber to pay civil penalties.