A B.C. class action may prompt Uber, Lyft to ensure accessible services

For wheelchair users, travelling by using ride-hailing apps, like Uber and Lyft, can be complicated. On March 20, a class action was announced against Uber and Lyft in British Columbia for allegedly not providing service to a wheelchair user. One of the goals of the class action is to bring about systemic change to the companies’ practices.

In the United States – where my research into ride hailing apps took place – lawsuits by wheelchair users or disability organizations against the companies are all too familiar. Sometimes, the outcomes of the suits resulted in payments to riders who were not provided service due to their use of wheelchair.

Other times, the rulings attempted to bring systemic changes. In a case that involved wheelchair users in Jackson, Miss. and New Orleans, La., the ruling was in favour of the companies.

The class action in B.C. draws attention to issues of accessibility in the transportation service hailed via Uber and Lyft for people with disabilities, in particular wheelchair users.

Accessibility issues related to wheelchair use are not about whether the apps are usable. They are also not about whether the apps provide information on accessible routes. Rather, they are about whether the actual transportation service hailed through them is usable.

Between 2020 and 2021, I conducted a U.S.wide survey, where I found that some wheelchair users were satisfied with the service, while others were not. Those who were satisfied cited the ability to see the cost of the ride up front, the doorto-door service and convenience. Others reported experiencing various challenges, including the lack of wheelchair-accessible vehicles (WAVs), being declined service by drivers and long wait times.

My study revealed that several factors were associated with the ability to use Uber and Lyft successfully.

The type of wheelchair a rider uses affects access. Riders with foldable wheelchairs have better odds of using these services successfully because the wheelchair can be folded and stowed in most vehicles.

The majority of the survey respondents who reported they were not Uber and Lyft customers used fixed-frame wheelchairs.

Riders who need to remain seated in a wheelchair during travel or use fixed-frame wheelchairs have lower odds of success using the services. They can only travel in WAVs, which are not as commonly available on the apps as four-door sedans used for basic level service. For riders who need WAVs, this can mean long wait times – on average twice more than the wait time for basic service, as I found in my study. It can also mean no service at all.

Passengers using wheelchairs experience long wait times for accessible vehicles.

While travellers who use foldable wheelchairs have better odds of obtaining a vehicle that can fit their wheelchair through basic service options, they experience a different kind of challenge. Some of the respondents who used a manual wheelchair reported experiencing withdrawn services – when the driver declines to take the ride. Other studies report similar experiences.

The class action in B.C. is based on the complainant’s experience related to shortage or unavailability of WAVs for those with fixed-frame wheelchairs or who need to remain seated during travel.

Previously, the companies’ responses to allegations of discrimination against wheelchair users in the U.S. have been that they are technology companies – rather than transportation companies – that connect riders and drivers.

Directing wheelchair users to other services by providing a list of accessible options is not considered equivalent to the service the companies offer to non-disabled travellers.

While an overhaul of the existing configuration may not be possible in the short term, changes to the companies’ business model or current disability accommodation practices or lack thereof maybe inevitable.

The lawsuits in the U.S. and Canada demonstrate that people with disabilities will continue to ask for services that meet their needs. My research shows that even wheelchair users who are currently unable to use Uber and Lyft see promise in a convenient, on-demand transportation service hailed through the apps.

The companies can meet them halfway. Or the courts might bring them there – eventually.

Mahtot Gebresselassie is an assistant professor of environmental and urban change at York University.