Protesters Say Uber and Lyft Are Still Failing Their Blind Passengers

Uber and Lyft have been challenged in court and by activists for years on their alleged failure to fully cooperate with the Americans With Disabilities Act .

The companies are plagued by two main issues: They often have too few wheelchair-accessible vehicles, to the point where wait times for passengers are long.

Uber did not respond to a request for comment.

A Lyft spokesperson said “discrimination has no place in the Lyft community. ”.

A survey by the nonprofit Guide Dogs for the Blind found 83 percent of members said they had been denied rides.

Both Uber and Lyft offer in-app options for people to specify that they’re traveling with a pet.

Since guide dogs aren’t pets, people with visual impairments cannot be required to use this option.

By 2025 , Lyft will be launching a “service animal opt-in feature,” which it says will let passengers “disclose that they travel with a service animal”.

In 2020 , Lyft had to settle a separate lawsuit with the Department of Justice , which charged the company with not accommodating riders with wheelchairs or walkers.

Lyft made payments to affected individuals in the suit but didn’t admit to any wrongdoing.