Lyft will now guarantee the rights of blind and disabled passengers to travel with their service animals across the United States, following a settlement announced in Minnesota.
The agreement stems from a complaint filed by college student Tori Andres with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights. Andres, who is blind, reported that several Lyft drivers refused to allow her service dog, Alfred, to accompany her during rides. An investigation by the department concluded that Lyft was in violation of the state's Human Rights Act.
Negotiations between both parties led to a settlement that mandates changes in driver training and updates to the Lyft application. Crucially, these modifications will extend the protections nationwide, moving beyond Minnesota's borders.
Speaking at a news conference, with her black Labrador quietly at her feet, Andres emphasized the profound importance of her service animal.
"This case is a deeply personal thing to me because I travel pretty much everywhere with my guide dog," she stated. "He is my eyes. He is my freedom, and he is why I am able to live independently."
The terms require Lyft to train its drivers on the rights of passengers with disabilities, and warn them that they could be “deactivated” and lose their ability to drive for Lyft if they violate the law, state Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero told reporters. Drivers can't cancel or refuse a ride because a passenger has a service animal or wheelchair, or because they have low or no vision, she said. The state will monitor Lyft's compliance for three years, she added, and Andres will get a $63,000 monetary settlement.
“We expect that all riders in Minnesota and in fact, across the United States, will benefit from these changes,” Lucero said.
Changes to the Lyft app include giving riders the option of updating their accessibility settings to notify a driver that they're traveling with a service animal, and to report if they're denied service. Some of those features were already in place. Lyft agreed to follow up on every report it gets of driver refusals.
Drivers who try to cancel or refuse a ride to a passenger who has disclosed their service animal in the app will immediately receive an in-app message reminding them, “It's against the law to refuse service animals,” and that they risk getting fired.
The state reached the settlement with Lyft without resorting to a lawsuit. Lyft's leading competitor, Uber, the country's largest ride-haling service, is not a party to the settlement. But Lucero said the Minnesota Human Rights Act binds all ride-share companies, including Uber. She said her agency frequently gets complaints against a variety of transportation companies, but did not indicate that anything is currently in the works against the competitor.
“We recommend that all businesses use this as an opportunity to look at their policies, training and accountability systems to make sure that it’s being enforced correctly,” Lucero said.
Lyft officials did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the settlement, nor did Uber officials respond to a request for details on their policies about service animals. Uber's website says service animals must be accommodated in compliance with applicable accessibility laws and the company's service animal policy, which says there are no exceptions due to allergies, religious objections, or a fear of animals.
The federal government filed a lawsuit against Uber in San Francisco last September alleging it routinely refused to serve individuals with disabilities, including those with service dogs. A federal magistrate judge last week denied a company motion to dismiss the case.
“Access to ride shares like Lyft is not a convenience. It is, in fact, a civil right,” Lucero said.
