Disabled Americans rely on rideshare apps but say they still face discrimination
Disabled rideshare users have for years reported having less access to Lyft and Uber than able-bodied people
Disabled people who use rideshare apps Lyft and Uber say their experience is not a seamless task of pressing a few buttons and being whisked to their destination minutes later.
Instead, people who use wheelchairs and guide dogs have watched drivers cancel rides, charge cleaning fees for guide dogs or outright refuse to take them where they need to go.
The rideshare companies plan to push app updates soon to address cancellations and misunderstandings, but advocates and disabled users say they want to see drivers be better educated about how to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and want the companies to put in stricter discrimination policies. The new app features are just “window dressing,” said Lynn Dubinsky.
“This option puts the burden back on the client rather than on the companies themselves to directly address (discrimination) with their drivers,” said Dubinsky, who works for a guide-dog training school in San Rafael, California.
Uber and Lyft have been the target of past federal lawsuits that allege they didn't follow ADA laws; Uber settled its suit in 2022 and Lyft settled a separate one in 2020. While rideshare apps aren't the only option for disabled people across the U.S. — public transit agencies must also have ADA-compliant buses and trains and offer paratransit options like shuttles — the disabled community relies on rideshare more than others, according to 2022 U.S. Bureau of Transportation statistics.
That's the case for Amber Sherrard, who is blind and has a guide dog named Della.
The 32-year-old Denver resident has grown accustomed to drivers refusing to transport Della, whom
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