The United States claims that Uber’s wait-time rates discriminate against people with disabilities because they need more time to get into a car.
The United States Government announced last Wednesday that it has filed a lawsuit against the transportation company Uber for charging an additional fee for “waiting time” to people who, because of a disability, take longer to access the vehicle.
In a statement, the Department of Justice (DOJ =) argued that this practice has “caused harm” to many passengers and potential passengers throughout the country, and that it constitutes a case of discrimination in violation of federal law of the protection for people with disabilities (known by the acronym ADA).
Uber began charging the additional fee for waiting time in April 2016, a supplement that is activated when the driver must wait more than two minutes from the time he arrives at the pick-up point and until the passenger accesses the vehicle and the trip begins. .
According to the US Government, Uber should have modified this charging policy to adapt it and not harm those passengers who, due to their disability, they need more than two minutes to access a car.
Among the examples of disabilities that may require additional time to enter a vehicle, the Department of Justice cited the cases of a person who uses a wheelchair and needs to be folded and stored in the car, and that of a blind person that requires additional time to get to the pick-up location.
For this reason, the Government asks in its complaint that the courts order Uber to end discriminatory practices against people with disabilities and to fine the company to compensate passengers who have been subjected to this discrimination.
In a statement, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, Kristen Clarke, stressed that people with disabilities “deserve equal access to all areas of community life, including private transportation services offered by companies. like Uber ”. (I)
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