Uber Ride-Sharing Expanding Access for People with Disabilities - Including Wheelchairs in Chicago

July 20, 2017 - Today in Chicago Uber ride-sharing announced Expanding Access for People with Disabilities in Chicago, including wheelchairs. Uber is facing lawsuits across the country for lack of wheelchair accessibility. Uber is saying that app will have 65 wheelchair-accessible vehicles on the road. The service will be known as UberWAV (Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle).

Uber's wheelchair accessible vehicles has been available in Chicago on a limited use only for riders who entered a special code, obtained through 'selected' Chicago Disability organizations. Which also demonstrates still in 2017 the lack of some of Chicago's disability community and organizations actually working for the benefit of all of the disability community.

With no doubt the Chicago UberWAV is in response to a lawsuit filed by Access Living, and a few of their employees in October 2016. As Uber is finally developing and implementing new solutions for service that will serve those with mobility devices. A press release from Uber is also posted below. The UberWAV story is far from over, and as updates and issues develop, more to come.

Jim Watkins, publisher

Ability Chicago Info

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Press Release by Marco McCottry, General Manager of Uber Chicago | July 20, 2017              

Push a button, get a ride. This simple concept has revolutionized how many of us think about mobility in cities around the world. At Uber, we believe that affordable, reliable transportation should be available at the push of a button for everyone, everywhere.

Unfortunately, this is not the reality for many people with disabilities. For those who require wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs), transportation options can be even more difficult. That’s why over the past year we have been working with disability advocates and accessibility organizations across Chicago to put together a new, collaborative blueprint for expanding accessibility options for all Chicagoans.

Beginning today, we are proud to announce the expansion of our UberWAV product in Chicago. UberWAV was previously available in Chicago for riders who entered in a special code. With today’s expansion, riders across Chicago can open their Uber app and tap a button on their smartphone to be connected with a wheelchair accessible vehicle. No code required. These vehicles are driven by drivers who are certified in WAV best practices and vehicle securement through third parties, such as the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA), Transit & Paratransit Company (TAPTCO), or the Open Doors Organization. The WAV’s side-entry ramp enables a wheelchair user to ride safely and comfortably with up to three additional passengers, and fares will be the same as the affordable uberX option.

Although there is certainly more work to be done, we look forward to taking this next step toward improving access to mobility options throughout Chicago. Over the past six years, we have worked hard to enable driver partners to serve residents across every neighborhood, particularly in areas that were previously underserved by transportation.

Whether it’s getting to a doctor’s appointment or a trip to the grocery store, everyone should have access to safe, affordable, and reliable transportation. Developing and implementing new solutions to this ongoing mobility challenge is an issue we take very seriously, and we will be monitoring our progress and constantly refining the product based on feedback from riders and drivers over the next few months. As we head into the rest of 2017, we’re eager to continue working with leaders and advocates across the disability community to support everyone’s ability to push a button and get a ride.
Source: Uber press release

Previous posts on Uber: CLICK HERE

article @copyright Ability Chicago Info

Another Uber Lawsuit, NYC Disability Advocates Ask Why Lack of Wheelchair-Accessible Cars

NEW YORK (Reuters) - July 18, 2017 - Uber Technologies Inc was sued on Tuesday by disability rights groups and wheelchair users accusing the ride-sharing company of violating New York City human rights laws by failing to make enough of its vehicles accessible to disabled people.

The proposed class-action complaint said Uber engaged in "pervasive and ongoing discrimination" because people in wheelchairs can use only a few dozen of its more than 58,000 vehicles in the city.

Given Uber's growing popularity, this "substantially undermines" the benefits of New York City's commitment to make half its yellow taxis wheelchair-accessible by 2020, according to the complaint filed in the state Supreme Court in Manhattan.

"I want to be treated like everybody else," Valerie Joseph, 41, a Queens Village, New York resident born with spina bifida with hydrocephalus and one of the plaintiffs, said in an interview. "We are normal people, and we have lives."

In a statement, Uber said its technology "has expanded access to reliable transportation" for people with disabilities, and that it "will continue advocating for a solution that offers affordable, reliable transportation to those who need a wheelchair accessible vehicle."

The complaint said Uber provides wheelchair-accessible rides through its UberWAV service, but fewer than 100 vehicles in its city fleet offer it. It seeks to require Uber to provide "full and equal access" for people who need accessible transportation.

"Riders either face very long wait times or can't get rides at all," Rebecca Serbin, a staff attorney for Disability Rights Advocates, said in an interview. "The human rights law reflects the City Council's commitment to accessibility. Uber is flagrantly violating that law."

The case follows similar lawsuits against Uber in Chicago and Washington, D.C.

It adds to problems affecting the San Francisco-based company, which has been beset by complaints about its workplace culture, a federal inquiry into software to help drivers avoid police, and an intellectual property lawsuit by Waymo, the self-driving car unit of Google parent Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O).

The plaintiffs in Tuesday's lawsuit also include the Brooklyn Center for Independence for the Disabled, Disabled in Action of Metropolitan New York, the Taxis for All Campaign, and Brooklyn resident Gabriela Amari.

Joseph, who works at the Axis Project gym in Manhattan, said that without Uber, she sometimes has to book rides on accessible buses or trains in advance, and the rides can take hours.

"When I'm at a job and my boss needs me to get somewhere on demand, I can't," she said.

The case is Brooklyn Center for Independence for the Disabled et al v. Uber Technologies Inc et al, New York State Supreme Court, New York County, No. 156434/2017.

Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Andrew Hay

ANOTHER LAWSUIT FOR UBER, INACCESSIBLE SERVICES TO WHEELCHAIR RIDERS IN WASHINGTON D.C.

Investigation reveals higher fares and longer wait times for wheelchair users

WASHINGTON, D.C, – June 28, 2017— Today, the Equal Rights Center (ERC)—a national non-profit civil rights organization headquartered in Washington, D.C.—filed a lawsuit against Uber Technologies, Inc., alleging that Uber has designed and operated its transportation service in the District of Columbia in a way that effectively excludes wheelchair users from its basic “UberX” product, and instead, directs them to the limited number of accessible DC taxi cabs through their “TAXI WAV” (wheelchair accessible vehicle) option. The lawsuit also alleges that none of the 30,000 or more vehicles operated by Uber drivers in the District is capable of transporting individuals who use wheelchairs that cannot be folded and stowed in a trunk. As a result, wheelchair users are deprived of the opportunity to ride in Uber-affiliated vehicles, and subjected to substantially longer wait times and higher fares as compared to other Uber customers.

Uber’s failure to ensure a comparable level of service for wheelchair users in the District of Columbia violates Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which requires companies like Uber to provide “full and equal enjoyment” of Uber’s services. ERC also alleges that Uber has violated the D.C. Human Rights Act, which provides that people with disabilities shall have “an equal opportunity to participate fully in the economic, cultural and intellectual life of the District,” including transportation and tech company services. ERC is represented by the civil rights firm, Relman, Dane & Colfax, PLLC and Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs.

ERC conducted a civil rights testing investigation that compared the experience of customers using “UberX”, Uber’s most popular application option, to customers using Uber’s “TAXI WAV” option. Test results revealed that wheelchair users waited an average of eight times longer for an accessible vehicle to arrive and paid as much as twice as much in fares. The investigation also established that, on occasion, no accessible vehicles were available at all.

ERC Executive Director Melvina Ford comments: “Uber is not exempt from anti-discrimination laws. It has a legal obligation to ensure that individuals with disabilities can access its transportation services without excessive costs and wait times. This is a problem we know Uber can fix.”

Michael Allen, a partner at Relman, Dane & Colfax, said: “Uber had the power to design and implement services in the District that connect wheelchair users to employment and educational opportunities, support services and cultural events. It just chose not to do so. By flouting federal and local accessibility laws, Uber deprives wheelchair users of the life-changing benefits of the convenient, affordable, on-demand services that Uber delivers to its customers who don’t use wheelchairs.”

Matthew Handley, Director of Litigation at the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, added: “Federal and local disability laws require companies such as Uber to provide full and equal enjoyment of their services to the disability community. Uber’s practices not only deny such enjoyment, but convey to the disability community that its patronage is not wanted.”

source: Equal Rights Center press release

Chicago Disability Advocates Criticize Uber, Lyft and City Halls Plan For Serving Wheelchair Users

Chicago - Uber, Lyft and Via will add a total of 50 wheelchair accessible vehicles over the next six months, under a plan approved by City Hall — but denounced by riders with disabilities as woefully inadequate.

Article by Fran Spielman for the Chicago Sun-Times | May 8, 2017                                                       
“You try to hail a vehicle like other people who use the app, but there’s nothing available. You wait and wait and wait,” said Gary Arnold, a spokesman for Access Living.

“Adding 50 vehicles to the combined fleet is not going to change that situation.”

Rahnee Patrick said she hasn’t even bothered to put the Uber or Lyft apps on her phone.

“I can’t use it. I have to use a taxi service that has wheelchair access. And even then, I am left at different places in town during rainstorms or when I expected a ride and they just don’t come because they don’t have enough vehicles available,” Patrick said.

“Say it’s a girls’ night and we want to go out and get a little tipsy, but none of us want to drive. It’s really cool to use Uber now. But I can’t be like my friends. I can’t enjoy the chit-chat that girls do when we’re in the car together like any other 42-year-old woman.”

Last summer, a divided City Council agreed to license, but not fingerprint, ride-hailing drivers.

The language also included a compromise on the demand by Transportation Committee Chairman Anthony Beale (9th) that five percent of all ride-hailing vehicles be accessible to customers with disabilities.

Instead, Uber and Lyft got six months to devise a plan to serve riders who use wheelchairs and six months to implement it.

Now, Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration has approved those plans.

They call for Uber, Lyft and Via to add 50 wheelchair accessible vehicles over the next six months. According to City Hall, that “mirrors the rate” at which wheelchair-accessible taxicabs have been added to the city’s fleet.

Access Living has a lawsuit pending in federal court that seeks to force Uber to provide enough wheelchair-accessible vehicles to give riders with disabilities “substantially the same experience” as able-bodied riders.

Charles Petrof, a senior attorney at Access Living, said the litigation has been hampered by Uber’s refusal to share information about the volume of activity on Chicago streets. That makes it virtually impossible to say how many wheelchair-accessible vehicles are needed to meet demand.

“The taxicab fleet is providing fewer rides [than ride-hailing] and has 400 vehicles almost that are wheelchair accesssible. Yet, there still can be significant waits to get a wheelchair-accessible vehicle from a taxi company,” Petrof said.

“There’s clearly got to be more than 400 [wheelchair accessible ride-hailing vehicles]. They’re a bigger business so they should take a bigger chunk of the pie.”

As for the mayor’s plan, Petrof said it’s not enough to “change the dynamic.”

“This is still a practically unusable system for wheelchair users,” he said.

In an op-ed submitted to the Chicago Sun-Times, Uber Chicago general manager Marco McCottry argued that the plan approved by the city would “increase the total number of wheelchair accessible vehicles on the road by nearly 20 percent in the first three months.”

McCottry noted that Uber riders have contributed “millions” to an accessibility fund primarily used to support the purchase and maintenance of wheelchair accessible vehicles (he refers to them as WAVs) that typically cost $10,000-to-$15,000 more than taxi companies.

“Allowing rideshare to access the Accessibility Fund can substantially expand the number of Uber WAVs in Chicago and accelerate how quickly new cars and drivers can get on the road,” McCottry wrote.

“Whether it’s getting to an urgent doctor’s appointment or a trip to the grocery store, everyone should have access to safe, affordable, reliable transportation. Developing and implementing new solutions to this ongoing mobility challenge is an issue we take very seriously. We are eager to continue working with … advocates across the disability community to support everyone’s ability to push a button and get a ride.”

In a press release, Emanuel touted the changes as a “major increase in the availability of wheelchair-accessible transit operations for Chicago residents and visitors.”

He claimed that the number of wheelchair-accessible vehicles has more than tripled — from 91 to 298 — in the six years since he took office, with help from the incentives bankrolled by fees paid by the taxi and ride hailing industries.

“Every Chicagoan deserves access to safe, reliable transit,” Emanuel was quoted as saying.

Karen Tamley, commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, argued that Chicago is “leading the way to create more accessible transportation options for people with disabilities. The disability community will soon be able to rely on both taxis and rideshare companies for wheelchair-accessible transportation service.”

http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/uber-lyft-plan-to-serve-riders-with-disabilities-falls-short/              

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Editors note: There is so much more to the history of the lack of Accessible Taxis and Ride Share in Chicago, lack of political support for decades, and some in the disability community do not always support wheelchairs users fight for 'equal' access for transit options. - Jim

Chicago Disability Advocates File Federal Lawsuit Against Uber in Chicago, Lack of Accessible Vehicles

CHICAGO (Oct. 13, 2016) – Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago, along with Michelle Garcia, Rahnee Patrick and Justin Cooper, filed a federal complaint today against Uber Technologies, Inc., for violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The complaint was filed by Chicago-based law firm Much Shelist, P.C., in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.

Access Living is a Chicago-based, nationally recognized, not-for-profit advocacy organization for people with disabilities. Garcia and Patrick are employees of Access Living. Cooper is a member of Access Living’s Young Professionals’ Council.

Currently, Uber operates a service that is unusable by people who use motorized wheelchairs and other mobility devices, in violation of the ADA’s national mandate to eliminate discrimination against persons with disabilities, including discrimination in discounted travel and transportation services.

The complaint seeks a declaration that the ADA require Uber to provide equivalent service to people with disabilities, and to enjoin Uber to provide service to all, including those who need to ride in wheelchair-accessible vehicles. In June 2015 alone, Uber provided a total of 1,935,253 rides in Chicago. Yet, , from September 2011—when it started operating in Chicago—to August 2015, Uber provided just 14 rides to motorized wheelchair users who require wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

“Transportation access has always been a central issue of civil rights for people with disabilities,” said Steven P. Blonder, Principal in the Litigation & Dispute Resolution practice group at Much Shelist. “Transportation is key to the independence of people with disabilities, providing a link to education, employment and social activities. As a growing player in our transportation system, Uber is responsible for delivering its part of that link.”

For people who use motorized wheelchairs or manual wheelchairs and cannot transfer their chairs into a car, Uber offers a service called UberWAV. According to the plaintiffs, this service has so few vehicles that it often shows no rides available anywhere in the Chicago area.

“Millions of people in Chicago use Uber every day because it is convenient, timely and cost-effective,” said Justin Cooper, who lives in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago. “My wheelchair cannot transfer into a regular Uber vehicle and even if I were lucky enough to find a wheelchair-accessible vehicle operating, I would have to wait for that vehicle to cross the city to reach me. No one would use Uber if the entire service worked this way.”

According to Access Living representatives, for more than two years, despite repeated assurances from Uber representatives, Uber has failed to provide wheelchair-accessible services to motorized wheelchair users that are equivalent to the services provided to UberX passengers. In 2016, Uber campaigned aggressively against an amendment to a proposed amendment to Chicago’s rideshare ordinance that would have required Uber to provide equivalent services. The ordinance that eventually passed includes no mention of equivalent services for passengers that require wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

After the rideshare amendment failed to pass, on August 3, 2016, Access Living met with Uber to discuss accessibility. At the meeting, Uber indicated that it had no intention of providing equivalent response times to people who require wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

“Access Living had no choice but to take the significant action of litigation. People with disabilities have fought for generations to gain rights to equal services, ranging from mainline transit to taxis,” said Marca Bristo, President and CEO of Access Living. “This suit continues the struggle to enable individuals with disabilities to participate as full members of society. It is also a fight to avoid losing ground, as Uber pushes out existing accessible transportation services, further limiting options for people with disabilities.”

Access Living filed the complaint on behalf of its constituents and employees, who are eager to see Uber provide accessible transportation to those with disabilities that is equivalent to the service non-disabled rider’s receive:

“Every week, I go to work, I attend meetings, and I go to events. Many of my colleagues and my peers can depend on Uber to get quickly from place to place at an affordable price. Yet I cannot because Uber does not provide reliable service to people who request wheelchair-accessible vehicles.”

--Michelle Garcia, plaintiff and Access Living employee

“The ability to travel together is important for all relationships, whether social or business. My husband requires a wheelchair-accessible vehicle, and I will not allow a company’s business model to force us to travel in separate vehicles. Going to dinner with my husband should be the same for me as it is for everyone else.”

--Rahnee Patrick, plaintiff and Access Living employee

“For Cooper, Garcia, Patrick and others, the Americans with Disability Act guarantees full participation in all aspects of society and the end of historical isolation and segregation of people with disabilities,” Bristo said. “This lawsuit seeks to enforce that guarantee.”

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About Access Living:
Established in 1980, Access Living is a non-profit, Chicago-based disability rights and service organization that provides individualized, peer-based services for people with disabilities. With a strong influence in public policy and social reform, Access Living is a leading force in the community. Committed to challenging stereotypes, protecting civil rights and breaking institutional and community barriers, Access Living is a nationally recognized change agent at the forefront of the disability rights movement.

About Much Shelist:
Much Shelist is a Chicago-based full-service business law firm with offices in Chicago and Irvine, CA. Founded in 1970, Much Shelist has nearly 100 attorneys. The firm offers services in a wide range of practice areas, including corporate law; mergers and acquisitions; private equity; venture capital and emerging growth companies; commercial finance; taxation and business planning; labor and employment; commercial real estate and construction; business litigation and dispute resolution; insurance coverage and risk management; intellectual property and technology; health care law; and wealth transfer and succession planning. For more information, visit www.muchshelist.com or follow the firm on Twitter at @MuchShelistLaw.

SOURCE: Press Release 10/13/2016 Access Living /  Much Shelist
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RELATED POSTS ON UBER ISSUES: CLICK HERE

Washington D.C. Metro moving forward with plan to use Uber, Lyft for paratransit services

as I share the article the day before the 26th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act on how Washington D.C. Metro has decided to go forward with 'ride sharing' for seniors and people with disabilities that use paratransit service. In spite of the 'ride sharing' companies such as Uber and Lyft lack of accessible vehicles for wheelchair users, such as myself, all I can do is shake my head in disbelief. To the disability community in the Washington D.C, area that use Metroaccess paratransit service, we all need to remember know matter where we live in the USA, say NO to Disability Oppression and YES to Disability Empowerment... Jim W. at Ability Chicago Info
                                    "It's Nothing About Us Without Us!"

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article by Luz Lazo for The Washington Post \ July 20, 2016        
Washington D.C. --This fall Metro will officially open the bidding process for contractors to provide paratransit services, providing an alternative to MetroAccess, its door-to-door service for the elderly and people with disabilities.

The popular ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft top the list of prospective contractors for the new service, which officials say could help the transit agency save millions on its heavily subsidized paratransit program. It also would answer customers’ growing demand for same-day, app-based transportation services.

Metro plans to issue an RFP in September with the intent to have the service in place by spring 2017, according to Christian Kent, assistant general manager for Metro’s Access Services department. The pilot program will be for users in the Maryland suburbs, where two-thirds of MetroAccess customers live.

Officials anticipate the option will be popular among customers who don’t need wheelchair-accessible vehicles to travel. Under the program, they will have the choice of booking a ride on the same day they need it, a significant improvement from the current MetroAccess requirement that trips be booked 24 hours in advance.

Concerns have been raised, however, about Metro’s intent to partner with companies like Uber to transport people with special needs. Advocates cite Uber’s lack of ­wheelchair-accessible vehicles and question the level of training its drivers receive in dealing with people with disabilities. They also echo concerns about safety, insurance coverage and the vetting process for the companies drivers.

In a letter to the Metro board, the panel’s Accessibility Advisory Committee this week urged Metro to set safety and security standards for the program, to be open to contracting with local transportation providers instead, and to keep in mind that many elderly and disabled customers cannot navigate web-based applications because of their disabilities.

But the group also said it supports Metro’s objective to sustain the costly MetroAccess service, acknowledging that a new program could help lower costs. A paratransit ride averages about $50 in the Washington area, a much higher cost than using rail or bus, which average between $3 and $4.

In an effort to bring down cost of paratransit services, transit agencies across the country are pursuing partnerships with app-based transportation providers. Metro officials have said that expanding options and lowering costs are inevitable as demand for service increases with the population continuing to age and disability rates on the rise.

“We are trying to leverage a network that is more pervasive in the community than just a couple of cab companies,” Kent told a group of advocates at an Accessibility Advisory Committee meeting on Monday. “You have asked us to get creative, you have asked us to find ways to serve the community better and you are starting to see us trying new things.”

It is unclear what Metro will be seeking from bidders, but some officials say it may not be much different from an informal request for proposals issued earlier this year in which the transit authority said it was looking for service providers that can connect customers to drivers via an online platform, a system that mirrors Uber’s.

The agency said then that it would pay up to $15 per trip to the contracting company and cover a $12 surcharge applied to trips in wheelchair-accessible vehicles. Customers would be restricted to four trips daily.

Metro has also said it will ask the chosen provider to facilitate the reservation process through a traditional phone call. And it may ask the companies to spell out their policies for vetting drivers and training them to serve people with disabilities. Officials have also said they would want the service to be available to customers traveling with service animals, and to have at least 50 wheelchair-accessible vehicles to compliment the service.

The AAC also urged Metro not to set restrictions on the number of trips customers will be able to take.

“People with disabilities are interested in having the same level of access and quality of life as the non-disabled peers. A limit on trips will diminish that option,” the letter said.

The group asked that “any alternative service must be fully compliant with the [Americans with Disabilities Act],” a request more difficult to meet given that most transportation companies don’t have ADA accessible vehicles.

MetroAccess provides about 2 million trips annually at a price of about $121 million, of which more than 90 percent is paid with local subsidies. Metro projects the service could add at least a million trips and more than $50 million in operating expenses in the next decade. Partnering with other transportation services, however, could potentially lower costs by half.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2016/07/20/metro-moving-forward-with-plan-to-use-uber-lyft-for-paratransit-services/

Woman who is blind says she and her guide dog were refused service from Uber in Virginia

Another reported allegation of ride-sharing company employees not complying with federal guidelines associated with the ADA. 

Until federal, and local regulations are enacted, ridesharing provides a free pass for discrimination!

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An Arlington woman is suing ride-hailing giant Uber after she says at least two drivers refused to transport her and her service dog.

Tiffany Jolliff of Arlington, who is blind, says at least two Uber drivers refused to pick her up after they saw her service dog, Railey. (Evelyn Hockstein/For The Washington Post)

nice article by Lori Aratani, for the Washington Post | June 3, 2016

In the 29-page suit, Tiffany Jolliff, who is blind, said the company violated the Americans With Disabilities Act and the Virginians With Disabilities Act in refusing to transport her on at least three occasions.

In one instance last June, an UberX driver refused to pick up Jolliff once the driver realized that she was traveling with her service dog, a yellow Lab named Railey. Jolliff said she was holding the door handle when the driver accelerated. According to the suit, Jolliff, 29, was dragged several feet before she was able to let go.

Friends with whom she had been dining took her to the hospital, where she was told that she had sprained a shoulder. She missed almost a week of work and since then has avoided using Uber, the suit says.

The alleged driver, Albertine Djeumi Cole, is named in the suit. Attempts to reach Cole were unsuccessful.

The suit cited at least two other instances in which UberX drivers allegedly refused to allow Jolliff into their cars once they realized she was traveling with a dog.

“We hope that this case will illustrate the huge obstacles that blind people face in the D.C. metro area just to get from place to place,” said Peter Romer-Friedman, deputy director of litigation for the Washington Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, and Gilbert LLP, which are representing Jolliff. “There is a very bad trend of the rest of society getting access to wonderful technologies to make their lives better, while people who are blind are getting left behind.”

An Uber spokesman could not say whether Cole was still working for the company.

“We were disappointed to learn of this rider’s experience as we are committed to increasing transportation options everywhere for everyone,” Uber said in an emailed statement. “We expect drivers to comply with our Code of Conduct that explicitly states service animals must be accommodated in compliance with accessibility laws.”

Uber officials said the company’s drivers are required to sign the code of conduct, indicating that they understand the expectations.

Uber runs several services, including a black-car luxury service and the lower-cost UberX, in which people use their own cars to give rides to customers who summon them via the company’s app. There is also UberPool, in which a driver can pick up multiple passengers and deliver them to various locations.

The suit was filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Alexandria. In addition to seeking damages in an amount to be determined at trial, Jolliff is asking that Uber develop a program to educate drivers about the legal obligations to transport passengers who travel with service dogs, provide periodic reminders about those obligations and improve its complaint process.

Jolliff, who works for the Labor Department, said in her suit that she filed complaints with Uber but received only cursory responses. In some instances, Jolliff said, she was charged a $5 cancellation fee even though it was the driver who refused service.

Jolliff’s filing comes a little more than a month after Uber reached an agreement in a 2014 class-action lawsuit filed by the National Federation for the Blind. In the suit, filed in California, the federation said Uber drivers regularly denied rides to blind people with guide dogs. In one instance, the suit said, a driver put a service dog in the trunk and refused to pull over when the passenger, who was blind, became aware of the animal’s location.

As part of the settlement, which is still to be approved, Uber agreed to take steps to ensure that its drivers know they must provide service to people traveling with service dogs. Uber also said it would improve its system for responding to complaints filed by customers who are traveling with service animals.

The company also agreed to pay $225,000 over three years to cover attorney’s fees and court costs.

Jolliff’s attorneys contend that although the settlement in the class-action lawsuit addresses some of the issues raised in her suit, it does not bar individuals with claims from seeking damages.

As Uber has looked to expand its reach, it has run into questions about whether it does enough to accommodate riders with special needs. This has been a particular issue in the Washington region and other communities that are considering allowing Uber to handle their paratransit services.

Metro is exploring possible partnerships with Uber and its competitor Lyft to introduce an alternative and less-expensive option to MetroAccess, the transit system’s door-to-door service for elderly customers and people with disabilities.

This spring, seven of the nine members of the Montgomery County Council sent a letter to Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld opposing the idea.

The council members said Uber and other such services had not done enough to meet the needs of passengers with disabilities. They said the company lacked enough wheelchair-accessible vehicles and questioned whether drivers receive adequate training.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/blind-woman-sues-uber-says-she-and-her-guide-dog-were-refused-service/2016/06/02/7391156e-28f8-11e6-ae4a-3cdd5fe74204_story.html

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For more posts on allegations of Ride Sharing's free pass for discrimination: CLICK HERE

Settlement Agreement to End Discrimination Against Blind Uber Riders Who Use Guide Dogs

from a Press Release on April 30, 2016.

National Federation of the Blind.

April 30, 2016 – Berkeley, California – In an unprecedented settlement announced today, Uber has agreed to take affirmative steps to prevent discrimination against blind riders who use guide dogs in its transportation network across the United States.

The settlement resolves a lawsuit—National Federation of the Blind of California, et al. v. Uber Technologies, Inc.—brought by the National Federation of the Blind, its California affiliate, and individuals who use guide dogs, to ensure that guide dog users have full and equal access to vehicles in the Uber network. This is the first nationwide class-action settlement of its kind against an app-based transportation network company.

While the growth of Uber’s on-demand transportation services has the potential to be a boon to blind people, drivers using the Uber platform have denied rides to blind people who use guide dogs. Any such discrimination violates federal and state laws that protect the rights of people with disabilities. Under the settlement, Uber will work to end this discrimination and blind individuals will be able to use Uber without the threat of discrimination.

Uber has agreed to take affirmative steps to tell drivers about their obligations to transport riders who are disabled and use service animals. Uber will require that existing and new drivers expressly confirm that they understand their legal obligations to transport riders with guide dogs or other service animals. Uber will also implement stricter enforcement policies—Uber will remove a driver from the platform upon a single complaint if Uber finds that the driver knowingly denied a person with a disability a ride because the person was traveling with a service animal. In addition, if Uber receives complaints that a driver denied a person a ride because of a service animal on more than one occasion, the driver will permanently be removed from the Uber platform regardless of the driver’s intent.

Uber will also enhance its response system for complaints related to discrimination against guide-dog users, and will track detailed data on all allegations of such discrimination. Additionally, the National Federation of the Blind and its California affiliate will deploy testers over a multi-year period to evaluate Uber’s compliance with the settlement.

Mark A. Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: “Access to reliable and effective transportation is critical to the ability of blind people to live the lives we want. Uber and similar services can be a great asset to the blind when they are fully and equally available to us. The National Federation of the Blind is therefore pleased with Uber's commitment to effectively enforce a nondiscrimination policy with respect to blind people who use guide dogs. We look forward to working with Uber to ensure that all blind passengers can take advantage of the innovative transportation service it offers.”

Plaintiff Michael Hingson commented: “This settlement is a great step forward for all blind people. Uber can be such a convenient transportation option. I’m looking forward to being able to use the Uber services when Uber makes the changes needed to fix its discrimination problem and bring true access to guide dog users.”

Attorney Larry Paradis of Disability Rights Advocates said: “This settlement sets important precedent and shows that companies cannot ignore the rights of people with disabilities just because they use a new technology or a novel business model. We are pleased we could come to an agreement with Uber and look forward to working with the company to ensure a more accessible system.”

Attorney Michael Bien of Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP observed: “Technology-enabled services such as Uber have tremendous potential to empower people with disabilities to live more independent lives. By ensuring reliable equal access for blind riders with service animals to Uber’s services, this agreement harnesses that potential.”

Plaintiffs and defendant submitted the proposed settlement to the court on April 29, 2016, and seek approval from the court to settle as a nationwide class action. Copies of the settlement and other documents can be found at http://dralegal.org/case/national-federation-of-the-blind-of-california-et-al-v-uber-technologies-inc-et-al/.

Plaintiffs are represented by Larry Paradis and Julia Marks of Disability Rights Advocates, Timothy Elder of TRE Legal, and Michael Bien and Michael Nunez of Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP.

###About the National Federation of the Blind:
The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back. For more information, visit http://nfb.org.

About the California Affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind:
The NFB of California (NFBC) is the state affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind. The NFBC knows that blindness does not define you or your future. For more information, visit http://nfbcal.org/.

About Disability Rights Advocates:
Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) is one of the leading non-profit disability rights legal centers in the nation. With offices in Berkeley and New York City, DRA’s mission is to advance equal rights and opportunities for people with all types of disabilities nationwide. To advance that mission, DRA regularly advocates for greater access to transportation services and modern technologies. DRA recently negotiated a landmark settlement that will dramatically improve access to taxis in New York for people with mobility disabilities. DRA has also negotiated access improvements to several types of popular modern technologies, including the website Target.com in National Federation of the Blind v. Target, Corp. and Redbox touchscreen video rental kiosks in Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired et al. v. Redbox Automated Retail, LLC et al. For more information, visit www.dralegal.org.

About TRE Legal:
Founded by Timothy Elder, TRE Legal is a civil rights law firm fighting discrimination and specializing in the rights of the blind and other disabled people to access employment, education, government programs, public accommodations, digital information, and all other aspects of modern society. TRE Legal has helped negotiate collaboration agreements between the blindness community and several mobile app developers to make their respective technologies independently accessible to the blind. For more information, visit www.trelegal.com.

About Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP:
Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP (RBGG) is a private law firm that specializes in complex litigation, including with respect to business disputes, employment matters, institutional reform, and civil rights. RBGG has extensive experience representing individuals and classes of people with disabilities in litigation both against private entities and in the criminal justice context. For more information, visit http://rbgg.com/

Press Release contact:
Chris Danielsen
Director of Public Relations
National Federation of the Blind  

(410) 659-9314, extension 2330

(410) 262-1281 (Cell)
cdanielsen@nfb.org

https://nfb.org/groundbreaking-settlement-end-discrimination-against-blind-uber-riders-who-use-guide-dogs

Uber's Attempt of Services for People with Disabilities Still Lack Actual Vehicles

Sunday Parker can't catch an Uber in a neighborhood where they typically show up within five minutes.

article by Heather Kelly, for CNN Money | May 3, 2016
The 24-year-old works at a tech company in San Francisco and lives in Oakland. Born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Parker uses a power wheelchair to get around. She either takes public transit or needs a special vehicle with a hydraulic lift.

Uber has an option that Parker could use. Called UberWAV, it offers vehicles especially for people with power wheelchairs or motorized scooters. There's only one problem: the service is a ghost town. There are almost never any UberWAV cars available in San Francisco.

WAV, offered in at least eight U.S. cities, is one of two services Uber touts for riders with disabilities. The other, UberASSIST, offers regular cars with drivers who have received additional training on helping seniors and people with disabilities, like putting a collapsible wheelchair in the trunk. ASSIST is available in at least 13 U.S. cities.

We checked availability for both services in three cities at various times during the day.

In San Francisco, where Uber is based, there were consistently zero UberWAV vehicles available. In Los Angeles and Portland, there were zero to one cars available, with wait times between 25 and 45 minutes.

There were slightly more UberASSIST cars on the road. In San Francisco and Los Angeles, there was sometimes one ASSIST car available, though with significantly longer wait times than UberX, the traditional service. Portland was much better staffed, with two to four cars available.

New York uses taxis to fulfill this service, although they're still called through the Uber app. This seems to increase availability. The variations between cities might be due to the different pilot programs Uber is testing.

ASSIST and WAV were added as Uber options over the last 18 months. The company has been sued for discrimination. In one lawsuit, the California chapter of the National Federation of the Blind sued Uber for refusing to pick up riders with service dogs. One driver allegedly put a service dog in the trunk.

The Americans' with Disabilities Act requires transportation companies to offer equal access to all riders. Even though Uber offers ASSIST as a separate service, the company now requires all drivers to comply with ADA rules and and pick up passengers who are blind, have collapsible wheelchairs, or use a service animal.

The lack of ASSIST drivers might be due to a lack of incentives. They are not paid extra to go through training, and the fee for picking up UberASSIST rides is the same as UberX. On one popular Uber forum, some drivers expressed concerns about increased liability and risks if they picked up disabled passengers.

For activists, it's not just the lack of cars that's a problem. It's the very idea of creating a separate service with longer wait times to handle their business.

"Establishing a service where a subset of drivers are trained sends a very strong message that it is acceptable for the others to refuse that service," said Marilyn Golden, a senior policy analyst at the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund. "Each time they do, they are violating the ADA."

"I personally find it very offensive," said disabilities rights activist Carol Tyson. "To me, that is the kind of service that should be provided across the board."

Getting vehicles with hydraulic lifts is especially tricky. Depending on the city, Uber is workingwith local taxi companies that already have wheelchair-accessible cars on the road, third-party paratransit companies, and individual drivers who have their own accessible vehicles. In Seattle, someone requesting a WAV will get a phone number to call as part of a city-run service that Uber contributes to.

The company acknowledges that it's a work in progress.

"Uber's technology has expanded access to reliable transportation options for all riders, including those with disabilities. While there is certainly more work to be done, we are working hard to make it easier for people to get from A to B at the push of a button," said an Uber spokesperson.

Uber competitor Lyft also says all drivers must reasonably accommodate people with disabilities, including loading folding wheelchairs and allowing service animals. For passengers who require paratransit vehicles, the app usually connects riders with third-party providers.

Many seniors and people with disabilities who rely on alternative transportation still hope ride-hailing services can improve their lives.

"Uber has the unique opportunity to solve these problems and really create a positive change for some of the most vulnerable citizens," said Parker. "I'm not a 'taxi' advocate, I do think the industry needs a shake up, but I refuse to accept a solution that marginalizes an entire minority."

http://money.cnn.com/2016/05/02/technology/uber-access/index.html

Uber apologises over Discrimination Against Blind Customer, Human Rights Activist Graeme Innes

The ride sharing service Uber has apologised to a blind man who was refused service by one of its drivers and then abused by another because they did not want his guide dog in their cars.

Graeme Innes was refused service with his guide dog: photo 

article By Nick Grimm for AM /ABC Radio/au | April 18, 2018

Key points:

• Former disability discrimination commissioner Graham Innes refused service when trying to use Uber with guide dog
• No response to say drivers had been disciplined until formal complaint lodged with Human Rights Commission
• Uber says it tells drivers they are legally obliged to carry guide dogs

The passenger concerned was Australia's former disability discrimination commissioner, Graeme Innes, who was quick to lodge his complaint with the company and then with the Human Rights Commission.

Uber said it had disciplined the drivers involved and was working with disability advocates on improving its processes.

Just before Easter, Mr Innes, who is vision impaired and travels with a guide dog, was refused a ride by an Uber driver.

"He said that he had a new car, it had cost him $90,000 and he wasn't prepared to have animals in the car," Mr Innes said.

After refusing to allow Mr Innes into his car, the driver cancelled his booking, meaning Mr Innes then incurred a small fee for his trouble and had to book another.

"Because I was a bit more frustrated I actually just opened the door and got in the car, and he also didn't want to take me … [he] yelled a lot and drove in a pretty scary manner," Mr Innes said.

Mr Innes said he initially posted a complaint on Twitter, to which Uber responded, and he then lodged two complaints via email.

"They refunded the fares immediately, but I also said that I would like compensation and I'd also like to be made aware of the disciplining of the drivers and I gave them seven days to respond to that," he said.

Media player: "Space" to play, "M" to mute, "left" and "right" to seek.

 

Mr Innes said he did not get a response, so he lodged two complaints under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) with the Human Rights Commission.

"But I think that the matter didn't progress up the corporate chain very quickly until I lodged the DDA complaints, once I did that I had a pretty positive response from Uber," he said.

Mr Innes said that two days after lodging the complaints he was contacted and told the drivers had been disciplined.

Uber said it routinely provided information to its drivers explaining that they were legally obliged to carry assistance dogs.

An Uber spokesman told AM: "We have resolved the individual issue about the isolated incident.

"We believe that everyone should be able to get access to reliable and affordable transport, including those with accessibility needs and assistance dogs."

Mr Innes said problems such as what he experienced with Uber, and previously in taxis, indicated the problem was by no means an isolated one.

"It certainly disappoints me. I suppose it doesn't surprise me now because I've had this experience on a number of occasions," he said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-15/uber-driver-refuses-blind-customer-ex-commissioner-graeme-innes/7328984

Uber and Lyft attempts national Paratransit Service for Disabled, expanding free pass for discrimination!

Several U.S. transit systems looking to defray costs of providing services for the disabled are weighing partnerships with Uber and Lyft, unsettling some advocates who note that ride-hailing services have themselves faced criticism over accessibility.

Associated Press article by Bob Salsberg | April 10, 2016

Paratransit, better known under names like “The Ride,” ”Access-a-Ride,” or “Dial-a-Ride,” is required under the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act. But the costs, which include door-to-door pickup and drop-off, can be steep.

The average cost of operating a single paratransit trip is about $23 in the U.S., compared with less than $4 for the average trip on bus or light rail. In Boston, the average cost per ride is about $45, in Washington, about $50, and in New York, nearly $57, officials said.

Transit agencies nationwide logged about 223 million paratransit trips at a cost exceeding $5.1 billion — about 12 percent of total transit operating costs — in 2013, according to the most recent data from the American Public Transportation Association. The price tag is particularly high in major cities, where agencies struggle with regular service and maintenance.

“I understand there are budget concerns. But for me this is a quality-of-life issue,” said Sarah Kaplan, 32, who was born with cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. She rides a vehicle operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority to get to and from her job as internship coordinator with the Boston Center for Independent Living.

“I want the right to leave my house like everyone else,” Kaplan said.

In 2012, the MBTA doubled fares from $2 to $4 for The Ride, triggering protests; several people chained their wheelchairs together and blocked traffic. Fares were later rolled back to $3 for most rides.

The deficit-ridden agency now hopes to cut $10 million in annual paratransit costs by expanding an existing taxi voucher system and contracting with ride-hailing services.

The plan, not yet finalized, would charge customers $2 per ride, while the MBTA contributes up to $13 for the trip. If a trip costs more than $15, the passenger would pay the difference.

A potential incentive for riders: Uber or Lyft can be summoned immediately with an app; trips on MBTA vehicles must be scheduled a day ahead.

“My guess is it will be very appealing to people who need to go shorter distances where the fares are under $15 and they can get an on-demand ride as opposed to booking 24 hours in advance,” said Brian Shortsleeve, the agency’s chief administrator.

But convenience comes with a catch.

With a limited number of wheelchair-accessible vehicles, the ride-hailing services would be available largely to people who can walk. And while a majority of individuals certified to use paratransit fit that bill, advocates worry about creating an unfair and possibly even illegal two-tiered system for the disabled — one serving people who can walk, the other those whose needs the private vehicles can’t accommodate.

“We don’t want racial segregation, and we also don’t want disability segregation,” said Marilyn Golden, senior policy analyst for the California-based Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund.

Uber and Lyft have both cited efforts to improve offerings for disabled riders. But the services have argued they are technology, not transportation, companies, meaning they are not required to provide accessible vehicles. Advocates for the disabled have filed a handful of lawsuits.

In January, a coalition including disability rights groups and labor unions wrote to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, known as Metro, expressing alarm over the agency’s interest in contracting with companies such as Uber or Lyft.

“This is of grave concern to our coalition for many reasons, most importantly because neither company has adequate access to wheelchair accessible vehicles,” the letter stated. Passenger safety and inadequate driver training were also cited as concerns, though activists did applaud Metro for seeking alternative forms of transportation.

The system already supplements its MetroAccess service with alternatives such as Transport DC, which offers $5 taxi rides to the disabled, including wheelchair-accessible cabs.

Metro hopes to solicit formal proposals from ride-sharing companies this summer but will pay careful attention to how such a program is structured, said Christian Kent, assistant manager of access services.

Pace, which operates the Chicago-area paratransit system, has had preliminary meetings with Uber and Lyft, said agency spokesman Doug Sullivan. He cited as a potential barrier the strict federal guidelines that drivers for Pace — or any company under contract with Pace — must meet for training, and drug and alcohol testing.

A spokesman for New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the nation’s largest transit system, declined to say whether it had reached out to ride-hailing services but did say no agreements were in place.

The San Francisco Examiner reported last year that Uber was in talks to take over that city’s paratransit system, something that didn’t come to pass.

Uber did not provide details of current paratransit proposals, but the company has pointed to disability outreach efforts such as UberACCESS that connects riders with wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

In a statement, Lyft said it has been in discussions with transit officials in Boston and was monitoring developments in Washington with the hope of participating in paratransit programs in both cities. The company also said it was working to accommodate people with disabilities, citing a recent partnership with the National Federation of the Blind.

Copyright (2016) Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

# # # 

According to a Chicago Tribune article on April 11, 2016. Chicago area Paratransit provider Pace Suburban Bus:

Pace has had preliminary meetings with Uber and Lyft, said agency spokesman Doug Sullivan. He cited as a potential barrier the strict federal guidelines that drivers for Pace — or any company under contract with Pace — must meet for training, and drug and alcohol testing.

Let the PACE BOARD OF DIRECTORS know your opinion!

Contact Pace with their Request Information Form.

Did you know that in Chicago, rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft provide over 3 million rides per month? Of those, how many wheelchair accessible rides do you think they provided?

The answer is: fourteen.

That’s not fourteen a month, but a total of fourteen rides as of August of 2015. That’s right, in the entire history of rideshare service in Chicago, only 14 wheelchair accessible rides have ever been provided. 

United Spinal Association TV ad attacks Uber over lack of vehicles for disabled riders

YouTube Published by United Spinal on Feb 21, 2016

Uber has 30,000 cars in NYC but none are wheelchair accessible.

###
Exclusive : article by DAN RIVOLI  for NEW YORK DAILY NEWS | February 22, 2016

A disability rights group will launch an ad campaign Monday against Uber for rebuffing a wheelchair-accessible fleet.

A narrator in the United Spinal Association’s 30-second spot, which will run on NY1 and cable TV channels, says, “Uber should make its 30,000 cars in New York wheelchair-accessible.”

“We need Uber to step up, we need Uber to be a socially aware, socially responsible company,” United Spinal Association President Jim Weisman told the Daily News.

An Uber rep said the company’s app already connects its users with existing yellow and green taxis that can handle riders in wheelchairs.

DISABILITY ADVOCATES PUSHING DE BLASIO TO ADDRESS ACCESSIBILITY IN UBER, LYFT POLICY

“Before Uber, these riders were too often left stranded waiting for one of the small number of accessible cabs to pull up,” an Uber spokeswoman said.

“We are actively exploring new ways to build on this progress and better serve all people with disabilities.”

Weisman, however, said Uber’s popularity and growth has put a dent in the yellow and green taxi business — the only sectors that are required to have wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

“They are replacing those vehicles,” Weisman said.

The ad is being launched ahead of a City Council Transportation Committee hearing Feb. 29 about a package of taxi bills. Disability advocates have criticized the Council for not introducing any bills to address the accessibility gap in the taxi industry.

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ad-attacks-uber-lack-vehicles-disabled-riders-article-1.2539413

After facing criticism, Uber Boston announces partnership with disability advocates

Uber Boston, facing criticism that it offers only limited service to people with disabilities, has agreed to work with advocates on improving the accessibility of the ride-hailing service.
article by Nidhi Subbaraman and Dan Adams for The Boston Globe | Feb. 4, 2016

The Uber Boston Disability Coalition, announced Thursday, includes the Disability Law Center, the Disability Policy Consortium, and the Boston Center for Independent Living.

It is too soon to know what the partnership may bring in terms of new features or services for riders or drivers. But the various parties are due to meet in focus groups over the next few months, said Carlie Weibel, a spokesperson for Uber Boston. Among them is Uber’s new Boston general manager Chris Taylor, who is keen to be involved, Weibel said.

Leading the partnership is Disability Law Center executive director Christine Griffin. She hopes an Uber-like system will eventually replace the MBTA’s little-loved RIDE paratransit service, which costs taxpayers millions to operate and has faced criticism by riders who say it’s frequently late and takes wildly inefficient routes.

“I think this could really end up being a salvation,” Griffin said. “It would be cheaper and faster — and trust me, no one would mourn the RIDE if we replaced it.”

“The MBTA welcomes assistance that helps meet the transportation needs of the para-transit community,” MBTA spokesperson Joe Pesaturo said in an email. In November, the MBTA began a six-month pilot program to allow passengers who would otherwise hail the RIDE to take a taxi instead. There is a chance a service like Uber could join that fleet.

Griffin, whose group publicly criticized Uber last year for not complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act, said Uber seemed sincere about wanting to solve the problem. Currently, the company offers only limited service to people who use wheelchairs in certain cities.

Despite the bad blood between taxi drivers and Uber, Boston is among the cities piloting the UberACCESS service, which connects riders who use wheelchairs with taxis that can accommodate them. Boston is among the cities piloting the UberACCESS service which connects riders with wheelchairs with taxis that can accommodate them. (As of last July, Boston’s taxi fleet included 100 wheelchair accessible vehicles, but only 18 of those met federal standards.) Griffin said another possibility is partnering with the contractors who provide the MBTA’s RIDE service, since those companies already own fleets of vans and employ trained drivers.

“The idea was, let’s figure out how the disability community can take advantage of Uber, which everybody else thinks is the best thing to happen to transportation since the car was invented,” Griffin said.

The biggest challenge, Griffin said, will be bringing wheelchair-accessible vehicles into Uber’s network. The company is reluctant to purchase and operate such vans itself, Griffin said, as its business model depends on independent contractors who drive their own cars.

Uber has argued in the past that it is not legally obligated to provide services to riders with disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act, because it is a technology company that provides a service rather than a transportation company. “That is an unresolved legal question at this point,” said Samuel Perkins, a founding partner at the Boston firm Brody, Hardoon, Perkins & Kesten, LLP. (Perkins is currently representing the Boston Cab Dispatch and EGT Management in a lawsuit against Uber that was filed in 2013.)

“Uber wants to solve this without changing their business model,” Griffin said. “But they’re open to a lot of ways to achieve this. I think it will be several types of solutions, not one thing.”

http://www.betaboston.com/news/2016/02/04/uber-boston-annouces-partnership-with-disability-advocates/

For ADA-compliant transportation, There’s room for growth

For people with disabilities, transportation remains a significant barrier to participating in the community, according to a 2012 report by the National Council on Disability.
nice article by Andy Winegar, for The Santa Fe New Mexican | January 31, 2016With a high demand for transportation services for people with disabilities, it is not surprising that the U.S. Census Industry Series identified accessible transportation as a growth industry in 2012, with employment in the sector up 25.3 percent and revenues up by 31.5 percent from 2007.

According to the census study, 2,794 businesses were providing transportation for people with disabilities in 2012, and these businesses employed 62,221 people, generating revenues of $3.6 billion.

But in Santa Fe, private transportation services for people using wheelchairs are limited.

According to a dispatcher at Capital City Cab, the company doesn’t have vehicles equipped to pick up someone using a power wheelchair. And Uber, a ride service alternative to traditional taxi service, does not list any wheelchair-accessible vehicles for the Santa Fe area.

According to a Wired magazine article published last August, “Uber’s Business Isn’t Built to Help Disabled People,” Uber drivers nationwide are refusing to pick up disabled passengers who use wheelchairs or those traveling with service animals.

Uber drivers are private contractors who find customers seeking a ride through the company’s smartphone app, and Uber argues that it cannot mandate that its contracted drivers use accessible vehicles.

Nonetheless, the federal Americans with Disabilities Act applies to almost all providers of transportation service, whether private or public. And in February 2015, the U.S. Justice Department intervened in a lawsuit that the National Federation of the Blind filed against Uber, accusing the company of violating the ADA.

According to the Wired article, Uber has taken steps to begin accommodating passengers with disabilities. It has started training drivers in select cities to accommodate such passengers, and it is contracting with accessible transportation providers in some cities — although at a higher cost than a typical fare.

Uber’s general manager, Marco McCottry, reported in the online Texas Tribune on July 28, 2015, that the company is starting an accessible transportation service in Austin, Texas, through UberACCESS, a new smartphone application.

McCottry reported that similar accessible transportation services are already in place in New York, Chicago, San Diego, Philadelphia and Portland.

“Transportation to the disability community remains a challenge, and we really think this is a step in the right direction,” McCottry said in the Tribune article.

“The thing to remember is this is by no means a silver-bullet solution. Ride sharing is still very new. We’re exploring,” McCottry said.

Santa Fe-area residents with disabilities do have public transportation options. Santa Fe Ride, operated by the city of Santa Fe, and Santa Fe County’s senior transportation services provide accessible transportation.

According to a vehicle dispatch specialist with the city transportation department, passengers must register 21 days in advance for approval to use the city service. On-demand pickup may be requested, although 24- to 48-hour notice is suggested.

Santa Fe Ride service is provided during the same days and hours of operation of the city’s fixed-route bus service.

Jim Parker of Santa Fe, who uses a power wheelchair, said, “Overall, my experience with Santa Fe Ride has been good.”

There are also accessible buses available from the North Central Regional Transit District throughout Northern New Mexico — even to the Santa Fe and Taos ski basins.

Jim Nagle, a spokesman for the North Central Regional Transit District, said, “There are three weekday round trips and seven round trips on the weekends to Ski Santa Fe. All buses are equipped with lifts and have tie downs for wheelchairs.”

Andy Winnegar has spent his career in rehabilitation and is based in Santa Fe as a training associate for the Southwest ADA Center, 800-949-4232. He can be reached at a@winnegar.com.

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/health_and_science/understanding-disability-there-s-room-for-growth-in-ada-complaint/article_68484aa7-5fc6-55d4-8bf7-4dfe3319691a.html