Popular ride-share app Uber will pay a heft fine for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Department of Justice says the company has agreed to pay several million dollars to 65,000 Uber users who were unfairly charged extra fees due to their disability.
If you take more than two minutes to get outside to your ride once you’re notified it’s arrived., the company charges late fees. However, the agency says that violates the ADA since passengers with disabilities may reasonably need more than two minutes to get to a vehicle and extra time to get into the vehicle.
The company has agreed to waive wait time fees for all riders who show they are disabled and for folks who frequently travel with the disabled.
The company will also credit the accounts of disabled users who were charged a wait-time fee with doubled the amount they were charged.
“People with disabilities should not be made to feel like second-class citizens or punished because of their disability, which is exactly what Uber’s wait time fee policy did,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This agreement sends a strong message that Uber and other ridesharing companies will be held accountable if their services discriminate against people with disabilities. The Civil Rights Division remains committed to enforcing the ADA and ensuring that people with disabilities can travel free from barriers and indignities.”
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