The U.S. Justice Department is taking legal action against Uber, alleging the company discriminates against passengers with disabilities.

The lawsuit, filed in a San Francisco federal court on Thursday, asserts that Uber fails to provide equal service to disabled individuals despite its importance to them. The DOJ claims drivers “routinely refuse” service to disabled passengers, including those with service animals.

The lawsuit also alleges that Uber and its drivers unfairly impose surcharges, such as cleaning fees related to service animals and cancellation fees on riders who are unlawfully denied service. Furthermore, Uber drivers allegedly “insult and demean people with disabilities or ask them inappropriate questions.”

The legal action emphasizes the increasing reliance of disabled Americans on Uber for essential activities like work, medical appointments, and other important events.

Uber disputes the DOJ’s allegations.

In a statement to TIME, the company stated that it “fundamentally disagrees” with the DOJ’s claims, emphasizing its zero-tolerance policy for service denials to riders with guide dogs or assistive devices, ensuring they receive a safe, respectful, and welcoming experience.

The DOJ alleges that Uber violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by failing to reasonably modify its policies to avoid discriminating against riders with disabilities. The ADA prohibits private transportation companies from discriminating against people with disabilities.

The DOJ is seeking a jury trial, injunctive relief, monetary damages, and civil penalties against Uber for the alleged ADA violations.

According to the CDC, over one in four adults in the U.S. have some type of disability as of April 2025. Over 12% of disabled American adults have mobility issues. Therefore, access to transportation services is vital for many.

The DOJ previously accused Uber in November 2021 of unfairly charging disabled passengers extra when they needed more time to get into the vehicle. Since 2016, Uber has charged riders who made drivers wait more than two minutes.

The 2021 lawsuit argued that this policy discriminated against disabled passengers who could not arrive and enter the vehicle quickly enough, as Uber did not adjust the wait time for these riders, violating the ADA.

Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s civil rights division, stated that Uber and other transportation providers must ensure equal access for everyone, including those with disabilities.

In July 2022, Uber committed to waiving wait time fees for riders who certified they needed more time due to a disability, under a two-year agreement.

Uber was required to credit the accounts of over 65,000 eligible riders who enrolled in the waiver program with double the amount of wait time fees they had been charged.

Uber also had to pay $1,738,500 to more than a thousand riders who complained about being charged wait time fees because of their disability, and $500,000 to other individuals harmed as identified by the Department of Justice.

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