Uber to pay $1.1M over drivers' discrimination against a blind woman

Uber is set to shell out $1.1 million after an arbitrator determined some of the company’s drivers refused to give a ride to a blind woman and her guide dog. It was reported that this happened to the said woman not once but 14 times on different occasions.

As per Fox Business, Lisa Irving who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area brought up her complaint against Uber in 2018. She said that the taxi-hailing company drivers either denied her a ride or she was harassed by them as they don’t want to transport her with her guide dog.

Lisa’s complaints against Uber

In her narration, Irving said that Uber drivers often refused to serve her because of the guide dog that is really important to her. She was also verbally abused and these incidents happened to her more than a dozen times from 2016 to 2018.

"I felt demeaned, humiliated, devalued, embarrassed, angered, frustrated and violated," Irving said in a video statement posted by Peiffer Wolf Carr Kane & Conway law firm. She is being represented by Atty. Adam Wolf.

The blind woman alleged that since drivers denied her a ride, she was left stranded at night late for work. She explained her tardiness may have been a factor why she was fired. Her lawyers added that Irving suffered from intimidation and verbal abuse that did not stop even after she voiced out her complaints to Uber.

"Of all Americans who should be liberated by the rideshare revolution, the blind and visually impaired are among those who stand to benefit the most,” Atty. Catherine Cabalo, one of Irving's lawyers, told the BBC News. “However, the track record of major rideshare services has been spotty at best and openly discriminatory at worst."

The lawyer went on to say that under the Americans with Disabilities Act, a guide dog should be allowed to go anywhere with a blind person. Thus, the drivers may have violated this rule too.

Uber’s response to the ruling

After the ruling was released, Uber issued a statement through its spokesperson. The ride-sharing company said it is proud of the help it usually offers to its blind passengers.

"Drivers using the Uber app are expected to serve riders with service animals and comply with accessibility and other laws, and we regularly provide education to drivers on that responsibility,” Uber’s spokesman said. "Our dedicated team looks into each complaint and takes appropriate action."

Despite this, the arbitrator ruled that Uber is liable for violations in the ADA as it failed to prevent discrimination by training its drivers concerning servicing people with disabilities. The law also bars firms from refusing to transport a person with a guide dog.