Blind woman says she was denied ride twice in a row by Uber drivers because of guide dog
CBC
A Winnipeg woman says she was left waiting in the cold after not one, but two Uber drivers refused to give her a ride because of her service dog.
Veronika Kanya is blind and takes her guide dog, Apache, everywhere she goes.
On Sunday afternoon she ordered an Uber to take her to her self-defence class, but when the driver showed up he refused to allow the dog in the car.
"He said 'no dogs,' and I explained to him that he's a service dog, he's a guide dog allowed everywhere, and he said 'no dogs,'" said Kanya.
"I explained to him you're breaking the law, you can't deny us the service and he was like, 'no.'"
The driver drove off, Kanya says, and the Uber app dispatched another car, but once again, as soon as the driver saw the dog he refused her.
"The same thing, he saw the dog and said 'no dog.'"
Kanya says a third driver finally came and picked her and Apache up.
Uber's says it's against their policies for a driver to refuse a ride to someone with a service animal.
"We are disappointed by Veronika's experience, and we share in her frustration," said Navideh Forghani, communications manager for Uber.
"Our community guidelines clearly states that drivers cannot deny someone a trip because of their service animal. Anyone who uses the Uber platform to drive agrees to abide by the policy."
The company is looking into this case and will take appropriate action, Forghani said, which could include removing the driver's access to the app.
Uber says new and existing drivers receive a notification through the app reminding them of their obligations to transport service animals and they are also sent quarterly reminders about the policy.
Kanya said both drivers who refused her seemed indifferent when she told them she would be making a complaint.