Engadget: DOJ Reportedly Sues Lyft Over Disability Refusals
Lyft allegedly keeps turning away wheelchair users and service-animal riders despite a 2020 settlement.
TL;DR
- Engadget reports DOJ sues Lyft for routinely refusing rides to wheelchair and service-animal users.
- According to Engadget, complaint cites cancellation fees and failure to update policies after 2020 settlement.
- Engadget reports lawsuit seeks $53 million in damages plus required ADA training for drivers.
Engadget – Technology News & Expert Reviews reports the Justice Department just filed a lawsuit accusing Lyft and its drivers of routinely refusing rides to people with disabilities.
The complaint focuses on riders using stowable wheelchairs or service animals. According to Engadget – Technology News & Expert Reviews, the DOJ says these refusals break Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Engadget – Technology News & Expert Reviews also notes the agency claims Lyft slaps cancellation fees on rejected riders and won’t tweak policies, such as letting mobility-impaired passengers sit up front when needed.
This isn’t new. Engadget – Technology News & Expert Reviews points out Lyft settled similar DOJ allegations in 2020 after a Los Angeles wheelchair user complained. The company paid damages and promised policy changes, but the department now says those fixes fell short.
“Discrimination has no place in the Lyft community,”
The current lawsuit asks for $53 million in damages for affected passengers and wants a court order forcing driver ADA training, Engadget – Technology News & Expert Reviews reports.
Lyft pushed back in a statement, saying discrimination has no place in its community and that drivers who break the rules face deactivation.
Engadget – Technology News & Expert Reviews adds the DOJ sued Uber on parallel grounds last year, with both cases landing in the same California federal court.
The Tea
Another ride-hail giant back in the DOJ hot seat shows these access fights aren’t one-off glitches. If the claims hold, it means the 2020 fix didn’t stick and riders with disabilities are still getting left on the curb. Watch how Lyft’s driver policies and enforcement actually shift this time around.