The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday sued ride-hailing company Uber in federal court in San Francisco, alleging that the company and its drivers discriminate against people with disabilities and violate the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The complaint alleges that "despite the importance of its services to people with disabilities, Uber denies people with disabilities full and equal enjoyment of its services in several critical ways," and contends that drivers "routinely refuse" disabled passengers, including those traveling with service animals. The suit further alleges that Uber and its drivers impose unlawful surcharges by charging cleaning fees tied to service animals and cancellation fees on riders who have been unlawfully denied service, and that drivers sometimes "insult and demean people with disabilities or ask them inappropriate questions."
The DOJ said Uber "refuses to reasonably modify its policies, practices, or procedures where necessary to avoid discriminating against riders with disabilities," and is therefore violating the ADA, which prohibits private transportation companies from discriminating against people with disabilities. The department is seeking a jury trial and is asking the court for injunctive relief, monetary damages and a civil penalty.
Uber responded in a statement to TIME, saying it "fundamentally disagrees with the DOJ’s allegations" and asserting that "riders who use guide dogs or other assistive devices deserve a safe, respectful, and welcoming experience on Uber—full stop. We have a clear zero-tolerance policy for confirmed service denials." The company did not immediately provide additional detail on how it would respond in court.
The lawsuit frames the dispute in the context of growing reliance on app-based transportation by Americans with disabilities. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of April 2025 more than 28% of American adults — more than one in four — have some type of disability. Of the more than 70 million American adults with disabilities, over 12% have mobility issues that include serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs, the CDC says.
The complaint cites examples of riders who said they were refused service, charged extra fees tied to service animals, or subjected to inappropriate questioning by drivers. The DOJ alleges systemic problems with how Uber governs its network of drivers and enforces its policies, and it contends that the company has not implemented reasonable modifications needed to provide equal access.
The suit follows earlier federal action against Uber. In November 2021, the Justice Department sued the company, alleging that Uber discriminated by charging disabled passengers who needed more time to enter vehicles. The 2021 suit challenged Uber’s practice of paying drivers who waited more than two minutes for a passenger, a policy the DOJ said failed to accommodate riders who needed additional time because of a disability.
In July 2022, Uber entered a two-year agreement with the DOJ under which it committed to waive wait-time fees for riders who certified that they or someone they frequently travel with needed more time to board because of a disability. Under that arrangement, Uber agreed to credit the accounts of more than 65,000 eligible riders for double the amount of wait-time fees they had been charged. The company also paid $1,738,500 to more than a thousand riders who complained about being charged wait-time fees because of a disability and $500,000 to "other harmed individuals identified by the Department of Justice," the department said at the time.
Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said in a statement accompanying the new complaint that "Uber and other companies that provide transportation services must ensure equal access for all people, including those with disabilities." The DOJ’s new action argues that the company’s continued practices require broader and enforceable court orders to correct systematic discrimination.
Legal experts said the case could raise questions about the extent of a platform company’s responsibility for actions by independent-contract drivers and about what constitutes reasonable modifications under the ADA in the context of app-based transportation. The DOJ’s request for injunctive relief would, if granted, require Uber to change policies or practices found to cause discrimination; the department is also pursuing damages and civil penalties intended to remedy past harm.
A trial date and procedural schedule will be set by the court. The case adds to a growing body of litigation and regulatory scrutiny over how gig-economy platforms accommodate people with disabilities and how those companies enforce non-discrimination policies across widespread driver networks.