Ride-share services Uber and Lyft are facing a class action lawsuit in British Columbia related to a lack of accessibility options for those with disabilities.
According to CTV News, the complainant, David Sheldon, filed the class action with the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal. Sheldon uses a motorized vehicle and says that in December 2023, he was unable to use the service due to a lack of accessibility.
Uber responded to CTV News with a statement regarding the lawsuit:
“We comply with local laws on accessibility, paying fees and/or having a WAV service available. In BC, the government chose to require rideshare platforms like Uber to pay a per-trip fee relating to accessibility. To date, tens of millions of dollars have been collected from the ride-share industry. However, only a small portion of money has been allocated and only to taxi owner-operators. Ride-share drivers are prohibited from accessing the fund and expanding transportation options.”
This isn’t the first time a lawsuit has been launched against Uber for lack of accessibility. According to the report, a wheelchair user was awarded $35,000 from Uber by the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal earlier this month. This complainant, Martin Bauer, filed back in January 2020 when the ride-share service first launched in the province.
Even though the per-trip fee from Bauer’s case was mentioned in this latest legal action, the decision found that Uber doesn’t pay this fee “in lieu” of offering accessibility services. Instead, they aim to “incentivize” making rides accessible and the company still must comply with the B.C. Human Rights Code
Image credit: Shutterstock
Source: CTV News
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