Crime & Courts
Monday, April 1, 2019
Lyft, Uber face class-action lawsuits for disability discrimination
Leonie Leonida/File
Last Updated April 2, 2019
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Disability Rights Advocates, or DRA, filed a class-action lawsuit against Lyft on March 20, alleging that the popular ride-sharing service violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, by not providing a wheelchair accessible vehicle, or WAV, service for Bay Area residents.
DRA, a nonprofit disability rights organization based in California and New York, alleged in the suit that Lyft’s failure to provide WAVs constitutes unequal service for its riders with disabilities. According to DRA attorney Melissa Riess, the situation is compounded by the fact that Lyft has also driven competing taxi companies that once provided WAVs out of the market.
“Their service is basically unusable for people who use wheelchairs and need wheelchair accessible vehicles,” said Riess. “It could be a really important option for people to get around, especially in the [...]