Adapted from U.S. Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs
In November 2021, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit alleging that Uber violated Title III of the ADA, which prohibits discrimination by private transportation companies like Uber. According to the complaint, in April 2016, Uber began charging passengers wait time fees in several cities, eventually expanding the policy nationwide. The wait time fees started two minutes after the Uber car arrived at the pickup location and were charged until the vehicle began its trip. Failing to reasonably modify its wait time fee policy for passengers with disabilities who needed more than two minutes to get in an Uber was alleged to violate the ADA.
On July 18, 2022, the Department of Justice announced that it entered a multi-million-dollar settlement agreement with Uber Technologies, Inc. to resolve the lawsuit. On Monday, October 24, Uber notified over 65,000 individuals that they are eligible for a payment under its settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice. The settlement resolved the DOJ lawsuit filed against Uber. The press release regarding the settlement agreement between the DOJ and Uber is available here.
Members of the limb loss and limb difference community may be eligible for ride credits or, in some cases, money payments. To find out if you qualify, check your emails and the Uber app in the “Uber hub” section to check if you received a notification of eligibility.
Under the agreement, Uber is also waiving wait time fees for those who certify that they, or someone they frequently travel with, require additional time because of a disability. Learn more about the waiver and wait time fee refunds at Uber’s Help Page.
For more information about this agreement or the ADA, visit www.ada.gov or call the DOJ/ADA toll-free Information Line at 1-800-514-0301 or 1-833-610-1264 (TTY).