Woman takes Uber to Federal Court over repeated guide dog refusals

ABC NEWS (Australia)

A Victorian woman is suing Uber in the Federal Court, alleging drivers broke disability discrimination laws by refusing to pick up her guide dog on dozens of occasions.

Transcript

00:00If we're going to head off, I might book an Uber, I think.

00:06Most people expect an Uber ride to go off without a hitch.

00:10But for Paula Hobley, refusals have become the norm.

00:13I had the odd taxi refusal early on, but nothing like this.

00:19Paula is blind and a guide dog user.

00:23She relies on taxis and Ubers to get around, but says drivers are increasingly unwilling

00:28to take her guide dog.

00:30There were times where I missed appointments or decided not to go, just based on the probability

00:36that there might be a refusal, given that I've had so many of them.

00:41Paula's now taking Uber to the federal court, alleging that 32 ride refusals between 2021

00:48and 2022 breached disability discrimination laws.

00:52Her legal team says Uber must do better.

00:56They make handsome profits out of this system.

00:59They owe it to the community to make sure that system doesn't discriminate.

01:02Uber has told the ABC it cannot comment directly on the case, but it is committed to working

01:08with stakeholders to prevent ride refusals.

01:11Advocates say the problem has become endemic, and fixing it has unfairly fallen to people

01:16with disability who have no choice but to complain to bodies, including the Human Rights

01:21Commission.

01:22Anywhere a person can go, a guide dog has the right to accompany that person.

01:29And Uber really needs to address this and take responsibility for the discrimination

01:33that is going on.

01:35Being refused service on the basis of having disability is not good enough.

01:40A guide dog is not a pet.

01:42Hoping to get a fair ride for everyone.

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