People with blindness and their allies rally outside Uber and Lyft over ride denials

Several hundred people with blindness and low vision and their allies protested outside the San Francisco headquarters of Uber and Lyft on Tuesday accusing the rideshare companies of illegally denying rides to blind people and their service animals, and stigmatizing would-be passengers.

Organizers with the National Federation of the Blind, a Baltimore-based group working to advance the lives of blind people, said the rideshare rallies are meant to draw attention to the companies’ failure to stop discrimination against those who are blind, particularly those accompanied by guide dogs, which violates state and federal law and the companies’ own stated policies.

Alex Hernandez, a 32-year-old from Santa Rosa, California, who is blind, said he attended the rally with his guide dog Adonis because he is continually denied rides by Uber and Lyft drivers. He said he’s almost been run over a couple of times by ride-hailing drivers who refused him service and then sped away.

“It’s more frequent now than in the last two years,’’ he said. “A lot of times I have my camera out when this happens and I report the service denials to the companies."

Lyft released a statement saying “discrimination has no place in the Lyft community.”

“We strive to provide an inclusive and accessible platform for riders, including those who rely on service animals. We continually update our practices to improve accessibility for riders and are proud to be working directly with advocacy organizations in the community.”

Last week, Uber unveiled new policies and features, designed with the guidance of disability advocates and experts, that it says will help create a more dependable experience for riders.

“It is our hope that these changes will drive enhanced communication and reliability even further on Uber,’’ the company said in a statement.

A new feature on the Uber app gives hearing impaired and blind or low-vision riders the option to self-identity on the platform so drivers are prepared for them before the pickup takes place. It also allows those riders to choose how they communicate with drivers.

“With these new features, our hope is to create a more efficient way of communicating needs and preferences for both riders and drivers from pickup to drop off,’’ the company said in a statement.

Mark Riccobon, president of the National Federation of the Blind, said he attended the rallies Tuesday because the organization has negotiated with Uber and Lyft “for a long time, yet there are still people all over the world who are denied rides.”

Riccobon said he’d like to see the companies work with local law enforcement because when riders with service dogs are denied rides they often call police for back up.

Karen Woon with Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, California, said the ride denial problem is common among its members. A recent survey of 200 blind people by the organization showed that 83% of respondents had been denied a ride.

“I think today’s rallies were amazing,” she said. “It was a good mix of guide dog handlers and cane users, all here in support of their right to ride. It’s great to see the blindness community and their allies working together to solve this pervasive and pernicious problem.”

While California is home to nearly 800,000 residents with blindness, people from 48 states attended the rallies, which took place on White Cane Awareness Day, which celebrates the ability of blind people to travel independently.

Attendee Ronza Othman of Maryland was in Houston when she said she was held at gunpoint by local police after an Uber driver tried to pull her and her friend from his vehicle.

“Uber discriminated against me and a fellow passenger who used a guide dog in July of 2023, and as a result of Uber’s incompetence and discrimination, local law enforcement held me at gunpoint and treated me like a criminal,” Othman said. “The fact that Uber personnel didn’t know their responsibilities under the law or their own policies is unforgivable.”

The Americans with Disabilities Act mandates that those with service animals cannot be denied rides, but many blind riders say drivers refuse to transport them.

In a few weeks, Uber will launch a pilot allowing riders with a service animal to tell drivers they are with a guide dog.

And starting this month, all U.S.-based Uber drivers are being asked to watch a new service animal education video that Uber says was designed in partnership with leading blind and service animal advocacy organizations and training centers.

The company says the video includes information about the vital role of service animals, tips for transporting them and a reminder that it is against Uber’s policy and illegal to deny someone a ride because of a service animal.

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