Uber’s ‘Wait Time’ Fee Charges Even Passengers with Disabilities: Justice Department Lawsuit

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.

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.

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."

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