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."

Comments

hidden, unfair taxation

[ooloorie]

I think it's perfectly fine for society to decide to pay for special services for the handicapped. But politicians are cowards, so instead of paying for the cost of providing these services out of the general fund and raising taxes on everybody, they impose regulations; it seems so harmless: just tell people to run their business a bit differently and be nice to those poor suffering people with disabilities.

But here is absolutely no logical reason why transportation companies should bear the full cost of making provisions to transport people in wheelchairs. The decision to provide these services to people with disabilities is something the entire nation has made, so the entire nation should pay for it, out of taxes.

But, of course, it's not just politicians that like to hide taxes via regulations, many of the companies being regulated like it too: they pass on the costs to their customers (as a consumption tax, mostly hurting lower income people), while at the same time creating massive barriers to entry for competitors. And that's what you're seeing with this attack on Uber: once you start down the path of illogical and unfair regulations, they take on a life of their own and spiral out of control.

Re:I still think we need more handicapped spaces

[Gavagai80]

one would tend to think that the actual number of handicapped stalls in use in a lot at any given time is going to be similarly roughly proportional to the total number of cars in the lot, that is, the more other cars there are in the lot, the more handicapped stalls will tend to be used as well.

Why would you think that? The times normal parking spots are full are based on people's work schedules. The handicapped are much more likely to be unemployed or self-employed... and moreover, crowds are particularly difficult if you're a slow mover so you're going to purposely avoid going to stores at the times they're most busy. It makes perfect sense that the disabled spots are all empty at a time when it would be very difficult for a disabled person to safely shop.

Re:I've got good friends who are wheelchair bound

[Gavagai80]

You're making the argument from personal ignorance and not reading the summary. This complaint isn't about people's cars they use for Uber. It's about Uber's own owned car fleet that they rent to drivers. While I tend to think the ADA is too much of a burden, lying about the issue at hand doesn't help.

Re:I'm in a wheelchair too

[Anonymous Coward]

If you can't provide services to everyone, including the disabled, you don't deserve to be in business, period. Let the guys who can make those arrangements and survive be the ones to stay in business, not some asshole trying to cut corners.

How we are judged as a society is how we treat those least fortunate like the disabled.