Justice Dept. accuses Lyft of disability discrimination in lawsuit
The department said in its suit that Lyft and its drivers “routinely refuse to serve” people with disabilities, including those who use stowable wheelchairs or ride with service animals.
The Justice Department sued Lyft on Monday, accusing one of the country’s biggest ride-hailing services of routinely discriminating against people with disabilities in violation of federal law.
The department said in its suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, that Lyft and its drivers “routinely refuse to serve” people with disabilities, including those who use stowable wheelchairs or ride with service animals. The government also accused the company of imposing cancellation fees on people who were denied service, and of charging passengers with disabilities higher fees and unnecessary surcharges.
The suit was the latest in a series of legal actions the government has brought against major ride-hailing services in recent years related to alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. In a lawsuit filed last year, the Justice Department accused Uber of similar behavior, including denial of service, and sought $125 million in damages. Uber said it disagreed with the allegations.
In Monday’s suit, the government sought $53 million in damages for passengers it said Lyft and its drivers had wronged. Their conduct violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability, the Justice Department said, adding that the service denials affected “hundreds, and likely thousands” of people.
The department also accused Lyft of failing to change its policies and practices to prevent such discrimination, and of failing to adequately train its drivers and customer service representatives about their obligations under federal law. The government asked the court to consider a civil penalty on Lyft in addition to damages for the passengers.
Lyft said it disagreed with the Justice Department’s allegations.
“Discrimination has no place in the Lyft community,” the company said in a statement. “We have longstanding policies requiring drivers to accommodate riders who travel with service animals or use foldable mobility devices, and drivers who violate these policies face serious consequences, including permanent deactivation.”
Lyft added that it had cooperated with the Justice Department throughout its review.
In 2020, the company resolved allegations that its drivers denied service to people who used wheelchairs or walkers. It agreed to revise its policies and to pay four passengers thousands of dollars in damages, along with a $40,000 civil penalty.
Lyft, founded in 2012, has grown into one of the dominant ride-hailing companies in the U.S. It said last week that it expects to surpass 1 billion rides this year.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
