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Equal Rights Center Sues Uber For Denying Equal Access To People Who Use Wheelchairs (techcrunch.com)
The Equal Rights Center is suing Uber, alleging that the company has chosen not to include wheelchair-accessible cars as an option in its standard UberX fleet of vehicles, and excludes people who use wheelchairs in Washington, D.C. According to the lawsuit, Uber is in violation of Title 3 of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the D.C. Human Rights Act. TechCrunch reports: After conducting its own investigation of Uber's services for people in wheelchairs, the ERC found that passengers had to wait an average of eight times longer for an accessible car to arrive. They also had to pay twice as much in fares, according to the ERC's study. Ultimately, the ERC wants Uber to integrate wheelchair accessible cars into its UberX fleet so that people who use wheelchairs don't have to wait longer and pay more to use the car service. Uber said in a statement provided to TechCrunch: "We take this issue seriously and are committed to continued work with the District, our partners, and stakeholders toward expanding transportation options and freedom of movement for all residents throughout the region."
So, we now have to ruin it for the majority, just because a small minority can't use "X" service?
Please get real, there are alternatives, PLENTY of public transportation that we've all already paid out taxes for.....
Man, I'm all for helping people, but it's getting fucking ridiculous....what's next, suing magazines for not being in braille too for blind folks? Suing Apple for iPods that deaf people can't use?
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
Please get real, there are alternatives, PLENTY of public transportation that we've all already paid out taxes for.....
We're also paying taxes to fund the Courts, as well as other agencies of government that are charged with enforcing conditions so that businesses can operate in the first place.
Let's put aside whether or not it is "fair" for Uber to have to provide (more) accessible services. Do other similar businesses have to conform to those standards? (In other words, are there regulations in effect that say that they have to do this, and are those regulations enforced?)
I ask this because if there ARE regulations that say Uber needs to be doing this (or more of this), and they're not, then that's unfair to the businesses that are actually trying to meet those regulations. In which case, yes, Uber deserves to be slapped for Ubering regulations.
Uber is dependent on people using their own cars. Most people don't have wheelchair accessible cars, and those who do aren't likely to be willing to use that vehicle to drive some random stranger around.
If the Equal Rights Center is that upset, perhaps they can provide vehicles and drivers and create their own service instead of pointing fingers and filing lawsuits.
Go on, citizen, stamp the vote card. R or D, your choice.
A van with a wheel chair lift and suitable harness is about $50k ($35k van + $15k conversion). And it gets terrible gas mileage. So if I were to use my sister's wheelchair-accessible van for Uber, I would realistically have to charge significantly more before I could even break even. Since Uber sets the prices and drivers voluntarily accept the price, there is nothing I can do. And since Uber would get their pants sued off them if they charged 2x for a wheelchair van, there is not much Uber can do either.
If on the other hand the government or charities were willing to compensate wheelchair accessible van drivers on top of what Uber already pays, that would be something very interesting. Of course ADA only provides a way to sue businesses who do not comply with draconian rules, the Act does not offer any solutions to the problems that handicapped people face.
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
So, we now have to ruin it for the majority, just because a small minority can't use "X" service?
Congratulations, you've caught on to how litigation in a modern politically correct society works.
"Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
are you sure? In Orlando,Fl taxi companies are required to have a certain % of their fleet wheelchair accessible. London it's 100%.