Michelle Barlak, public relations manager for The Seeing Eye, which provides guide dogs for the visually impaired, tells WIRED that the organization has received “frequent and increasing reports of denials of access to rideshares by dog handlers.” guide”. A survey by the nonprofit Guide Dogs for the Blind found that 83 percent of members said they had been denied transportation.
Both Uber and Lyft offer in-app options for people to specify that they are traveling with a pet, which usually means paying a little more. But since guide dogs are not pets, visually impaired people cannot be required to use this option.
A Lyft spokesperson tells WIRED that by 2025, the company will launch a “opt-in feature for service animals”, which will allow passengers to “disclose that they are traveling with a service animal when requesting a ride.”
Uber, which did not respond to a request for comment, allows passengers to specify through app settings if traveling with a service animal.
“Under the ADA, rideshare drivers cannot deny access based on a dog’s size, weight or breed, allergies, fear of dogs, or cultural/religious objections,” Barlak tells WIRED.
In the protest, White argues that guide dogs are not at all comparable to pets, that drivers may fear that they will be unruly or misbehave. However, some drivers don’t see them any differently.
“Guide dogs cost $75,000; they won’t go to the bathroom in your car or get sick in your car,” White says.
Barlak says Uber and Lyft should make it easier for visually impaired passengers to report difficulties using their services and for the companies to better educate their drivers about the needs of blind passengers.
Michael Forzano, a protester who lives in New York and uses a guide dog, says that on three occasions drivers slammed the door on him, drove away while he still had his hands in the car, and nearly ran over his guide dog’s paws. After reporting these incidents, he says, nothing has happened.
On another occasion, an Uber driver in Orlando refused service to Forzano and his girlfriend when they got into the car with their guide dog. He says the driver played loud music and verbally attacked them until they finished the trip. “I waited more than an hour for the police to arrive,” Forzano says. “The police took the driver’s side and I’m still working through the process.”
