By Dee-Ann Durbin
The federal government is suing Uber saying it discriminates against disabled people by charging fees when drivers have to wait for passengers to board their vehicles.
Uber's “wait time” fees kick in two minutes after a driver arrives, and are charged until the car begins its trip. According to the Department of Justice, Uber added the fees in a few cities in April 2016. Eventually, they spread nationwide.
In its lawsuit, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Northern California, the Justice Department says Uber is violating the Americans with Disabilities Act for failing to modify its fees for those who may need extra time to get into an Uber car.
The lawsuit alleges that Uber charged the fees even when it was aware that a delay was disability-based.
Uber said Wednesday it has been in active discussions with the Justice Department and was surprised and disappointed by the lawsuit.
“Wait time fees are charged to all riders to compensate drivers after two minutes of waiting, but were never intended for riders who are ready at their designated pickup location but need more time to get into the car,” Uber said in a statement.
Uber said its policy is to refund wait time fees for disabled riders whenever they alerted the company they were changed. As of last week, any rider who certifies they are disabled will have the fees automatically waived, the company said.
The San Francisco-based company says the average wait time fee charged to riders is less than 60 cents.
“We fundamentally disagree that our policies violate the ADA and will keep improving our products to support everyone’s ability to easily move around their communities,” Uber said.
The lawsuit asks the court to order Uber to change its policy, train its staff and drivers and pay monetary damages to people who were subject to wait time fees that violated the ADA. It also wants Uber to pay civil penalties.
Berkshire Hathaway, the conglomerate run by businessman Warren Buffett, reported its operating earnings in its most recent quarter jumped more than 40% from a year ago but posted its first net quarterly loss in a year.
Elon Musk's company XaI has announced a new chatbot called Grok.
SAG-AFTRA said over the weekend that it received the studios' last best and final offer following a meeting on Saturday, with the union saying it's reviewing it and considering a response "within the context of the critical issues addressed in our proposals."
Stocks rose slightly as Wall Street looks to continue its momentum with earnings season winding down.
Tyson Foods is recalling about 30,000 of its dino-shaped chicken nuggets after some consumers reported finding small metal pieces in those nuggets.
Google on Monday will try to protect a lucrative piece of its internet empire at the same time it’s still entangled in the biggest U.S. antitrust trial in a quarter century.
Before the SAG-AFTRA strike, this was the weekend “Dune: Part Two” was supposed to open. When Warner Bros. and Legendary pushed that opening back to March 2024 and no other blockbuster stepped in to take its spot.
A growing number of Californians are planting agave to be harvested forz use in spirits. The trend is fueled by the need to find hardy crops that don’t need much water and a booming appetite for premium alcoholic beverages.
Big Business This Week is a guided tour through the biggest market stories of the week, from winning stocks to brutal dips to the facts and forecasts generating buzz on Wall Street. This week we highlight Paramount, Maersk, Starbucks, Uber, Lyft and Beyond Meat.
With Donald Trump due on the witness stand next week, testimony from his adult sons in his civil business fraud trial wrapped up Friday with Eric Trump saying he relied completely on accountants and lawyers to assure the accuracy of financial documents key to the case.
