Slashdot Mirror
Massachusetts Examining Disability Access For Uber, Lyft
An anonymous reader writes: Uber and Lyft have been dealing with a host of legal and regulatory issues, and the Massachusetts attorney general's office is adding one more: disability access. No formal action has been taken, but the office has contacted the companies to see how they handle equal access. Uber says it often speaks with advocates about accessibility, and less than a week ago they introduced uberASSIST, which connects riders with drivers who are specifically trained to assist those with disabilities. Still, the inquiry seems to have been spurred by questions from disabilities rights groups, not to mention ongoing lawsuits. "[T]he National Federation of the Blind of California accused Uber in a lawsuit last year of discrimination by refusing to transport guide dogs. A San Francisco federal judge has said the case can proceed. ... In Texas, Jennifer McPhail sued Lyft last year, accusing the company of not having a wheelchair accessible vehicle operating in Austin."
Most parking space are not handicapped spaces. You only need enough to serve.
If this is a service that is needed by people, then it should be provided by government, and not forced upon private enterprises. Towns and cities themselves should operate transport for the disabled. Government should also foot the bill for wheelchair access and the like. I'm not against accessibility, just against forcing business owners to pay for it in cases other than necessities.
The government DOES provide it. They do so through legislation that requires hire car businesses to have a certain percentage of vehicles on the roads at all times that are accessible, the cost is then passed on through higher average fees across all vehicles. In essence this is one of the taxi industries complaints (and a justified one at that), Uber by ignoring the regulations avoids costs that legitimate businesses pay and hence can undercut the market.
I have to say, I'm really shocked about insensivity towards the disabled seen in this thread. This further entrenches my opinion that the people defending Uber care nothing for others, and do nothing to appreciate the situation that others find themselves in. We don't have much of a society if we turn our backs on the weakest among us.
You are not the center of the frigging universe, as difficult as that may be for some of you to comprehend.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.