The U.S. Justice Division has filed a lawsuit in opposition to Uber, accusing the ride-hailing firm of violating federal legislation by discriminating in opposition to folks with bodily disabilities.

Particularly, the Division of Justice’s (DOJ) civil rights division claims that the corporate and its drivers “routinely refuse to serve people with disabilities, together with people who journey with service animals or who use stowable wheelchairs.”

Uber can also be accused of charging further charges on riders who want particular lodging, together with cancellation charges when service is denied. These actions and others listed within the grievance violate the Individuals with Disabilities Act, in keeping with the DOJ.

“Regardless of the significance of its providers to folks with disabilities, Uber denies folks with disabilities full and equal enjoyment of its providers in a number of crucial methods,” legal professionals for the DOJ wrote. “Uber additionally refuses to moderately modify its insurance policies, practices, or procedures the place essential to keep away from discriminating in opposition to riders with disabilities.”

This has brought about “vital financial, emotional, and bodily hurt to people with disabilities,” the DOJ argues.

Uber, in an announcement, stated it “basically” disagrees with the DOJ’s allegations and stated it has a “a transparent zero-tolerance coverage for confirmed service denials.”

“Each driver should acknowledge and conform to adjust to our U.S. Service Animal Coverage and all relevant accessibility legal guidelines earlier than utilizing the Uber Driver app, and we commonly remind drivers of those obligations. Once we affirm a violation, we take decisive motion, together with everlasting account deactivation,” the corporate wrote.

Uber has lengthy confronted accusations that its providers are discriminatory towards folks with bodily disabilities. The DOJ sued the corporate in 2021 for overcharging these passengers. The corporate finally reached a settlement with the DOJ in 2022 the place it paid out thousands and thousands of {dollars} to greater than 65,000 affected customers. Uber has additionally been hit with various private lawsuits from passengers who’ve alleged comparable discrimination and confronted public protests.

The DOJ says within the grievance, which was filed in federal courtroom Thursday in California’s Northern District, that it alerted Uber in 2024 to the truth that the corporate’s therapy of disabled riders was being investigated. In keeping with the grievance, after Uber grew to become conscious of this, the corporate rolled out a characteristic the place passengers may self-identify that they had been using with service animals.

This story has been up to date with an announcement from Uber.