[Nfbf-l] FW: Washington Post: Uber sued for allegedly refusing rides to the blind and putting a dog in the trunk

[Peter Donahue]

Good morning Marion and everyone,

    There is another service similar to Uber called Lift. Both services 
operate in San Antonio but are under heavy scrutiny by the City of San 
Antonio and the SAPD due to their nontraditional service model. The San 
Antonio Police Department has gone so far as to fine their drivers and warn 
our citizens to avoid using these services. Discussions are under way to 
develop a code of conduct services like Lift and Uber will need to follow if 
they wish to continue to operate in San Antonio. So far I have not heard of 
any guide dog users having difficulty when attempting to use these services. 
It is hoped that the regulations adopted by the City of San Antonio will 
ensure that issues faced by guide dog users in California don't occur here 
in the Alamo City.

Peter Donahue


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Marion Gwizdala via Nfbf-l" <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
To: "'NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List'" <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, September 11, 2014 8:58 AM
Subject: [Nfbf-l] FW: Washington Post: Uber sued for allegedly refusing 
rides to the blind and putting a dog in the trunk


>        Please circulate the following information as widely as 
> appropriate.
>
>
>
> Fraternally yours,
>
>
>
> Marion Gwizdala, President
>
> National Association of Guide Dog Users Inc.
>
> National Federation of the Blind
>
> (813) 626-2789
>
> (888) 624-3841 (Hotline)
>
> President at nagdu.org
>
> http://www.nagdu.org
>
>
>
> High expectations create unlimited potential for the blind!
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Uber sued for allegedly refusing rides to the blind and putting a dog in 
> the
> trunk
>
>
> By  <http://www.washingtonpost.com/people/gail-sullivan> Gail Sullivan
> September 10 at 5:06 AM
>
> An advocacy group for the blind is suing the app-based ride-sharing 
> service
> Uber, alleging the company discriminates against passengers with service
> dogs.
>
> The federal civil rights suit filed Tuesday by the California chapter of 
> the
> National Federation of the Blind cites instances in California and 
> elsewhere
> when blind Uber customers summoned a car only to be refused a ride once 
> the
> driver saw them with a service dog. In some cases, drivers allegedly
> abandoned blind travelers in extreme weather and charged cancellation fees
> after denying them rides, the complaint said.
>
> The complaint filed in a Northern California District Court cites one
> instance where a California UberX driver put a service dog in the trunk 
> and
> refused to pull over when the blind passenger realized where the animal 
> was.
>
> On another occasion a passenger was trying to explain that his dog was not 
> a
> pet but a service animal when the driver allegedly cursed at him and
> accelerated abruptly, nearly injuring the dog and striking the passenger's
> friend, who is also blind, with an open car door.
>
> The group said it's aware of more than 30 times blind customers were 
> denied
> rides in violation of the American with Disabilities Act and California
> state law.
>
> As a result, blind passengers are confronting unexpected delays and "face
> the degrading experience of being denied a basic service that is available
> to all other paying customers," the complaint said.
>
> Services such as Uber are quickly supplanting traditional taxis, a service
> blind people rely on due to the limitations of public transportation.
>
> The National Federation of the Blind wants Uber to educate its drivers 
> about
> disability rights and punish the violators in addition to providing a way
> for disabled passengers to immediately register complaints when they are
> refused rides because of service dogs.
>
> In a statement reported by the
> <http://www.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancisco/lawsuit-alleges-uber-discriminates-a
> gainst-blind-passengers-with-service-dogs/Content?oid=2895322> San 
> Francisco
> Examiner, Uber said its policy is to terminate drivers who refuse to
> transport service animals. "The Uber app is built to expand access to
> transportation options for all, including users with visual impairments 
> and
> other disabilities," the statement said.
>
> However, Uber allegedly told some passengers it can't control what drivers
> do because they are independent contractors. The company advised them to 
> let
> drivers know about their animals ahead of time, said the Federation, which
> filed suit after Uber rejected its request to negotiate a solution.
>
> The group claims the company closely monitors and controls its drivers by
> managing payments and services through the app, and by assessing driver
> performance based on customer feedback.
>
> In September 2013, California's Public Utilities Commission classified 
> UberX
> as a transportation provider because it functions like a taxi dispatch. 
> The
> commission also said that UberX may not discriminate against the disabled,
> the Federation noted.
>
> Figuring out whether to treat Uber like a traditional taxi service or
> something else is the subject of heated debate across the country. Taxi
> services are
> <https://adata.org/publication/disability-law-handbook#Transportation and
> the ADA> required by federal law to serve the disabled, even if drivers 
> are
> independent contractors.
>
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/09/10/uber-sued-for-a
> llegedly-refusing-rides-to-the-blind-and-putting-a-dog-in-the-trunk/
>
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