Uber's "Wait Time" fee is allegedly charging even its passengers with physical disabilities, the Justice Department claims in its latest lawsuit against the tech giant.
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 25: In this photo illustration the Uber logo is displayed on a phone in front of Tower Bridge on November 25, 2019 in London, England. Transport for London announced today, Monday, that Uber's license won't be renewed after it expires at the end of this month, November. Uber announced that they will appeal the decision.
Uber's 'Wait Time' Fee Allegedly Charges Passengers with Disabilities
As per the report by CNBC, the lawsuit of the Justice Department further alleges that Uber specifically violated Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, prohibiting transportation companies from performing any form of discrimination against its passengers.
The Department of Justice filed the lawsuit against Uber in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.
The assistant attorney general of the civil rights division of the Justice Department, Kristen Clarke, said in a statement that "people with disabilities deserve equal access to all areas of community life."
The attorney general further added that it should include services offered by private transportation firms, such as the ride-hailing app Uber.
Uber: We Did Not Violate Americans with Disabilities Act
However, the spokesman of Uber, Noah Edwardsen, said that the ride-hailing platform believes that did not, in any way, violate the said act.
In this pan zoom image, an Uber logo is seen outside the company's headquarters in San Francisco, California on May 8, 2019. - One of the early promises of the ride-hailing era ushered in by Uber and Lyft was that the new entrants would complement public transit, reduce car ownership and help alleviate congestion. But a new study on San Francisco has found the opposite may be in fact be true: far from reducing traffic, the companies increased delays by 40 percent as commuters ditched buses or walking for mobile-app summoned rides.
Edwardsen said in a statement to The Washington Post that the tech firm "fundamentally disagrees that our policies violate the ADA."
Uber's spokesman further noted that the popular ride-hailing app will continue to improve its products and services in hopes to "support everyone's ability to easily move around their communities."
Read Also: Uber Software Bug Charges Drivers Additional Fee After Passenger Drop Off: Is It Already Fixed?
Uber's Wait Time Fees
The Washington Post noted in the same news report that the "wait time" fees of Uber first launched to the users of the ride-hailing app in 2016 to select locations.
Uber's 'wait time' requires passengers to pay a fine for taking more than two minutes to enter the car since the arrival of the driver to the destination.
However, according to the DOJ, the policy of Uber for its passengers failed to "make reasonable modifications" to folks who needed more allotted time to enter the vehicle, such as those with physical disabilities.
What's more, the DOJ also said in the lawsuit that persons with disabilities need much more time than anyone else. They even had to tuck their wheelchair as they enter the vehicle.
The lawsuit filed against Uber is also seeking for the ride-hailing giant to compensate all of its disabled users for allegedly making them pay for the said "wait time" fees.
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Written by Teejay Boris
