Uber ordered to provide wheelchair-accessible rides after $35,000 lawsuit

A BC Human Rights Tribunal member has ordered ride-hailing company Uber to pay a BC wheelchair user $35,000 and offer accessible rides in the province within one year.

Lower Mainland resident Martin Bauer complained Uber’s lack of accessibility was discriminatory under BC’s Human Rights Code, and the decision was posted online this week.

Uber doesn’t currently offer wheelchair-accessible services in Metro Vancouver.

The company tried to argue that it wasn’t responsible for providing wheelchair-accessible transport and that it pays a fee to the province in lieu of providing a wheelchair-accessible services. But the tribunal member found paying a fee didn’t absolve them of the responsibility to provide transport options for wheelchair users. In fact, the fee was supposed to be an incentive for drivers to provide accessible vehicles.

In the end, Uber was found to be in violation of BC’s human rights code for not providing wheelchair-accessible services.

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“While others in BC have celebrated their long-awaited access to Uber’s ride-hailing service, Mr. Bauer does not have access to that service. The absence of a wheelchair-accessible option through Uber limits Mr. Bauer’s ability to take part in aspects of life in BC on an equal footing with others,” the decision read.

Bauer originally sued Uber for $100,000, but the court awarded him $35,000 in damages, which it said was in line with other decisions.

Uber is also ordered to cease committing similar contraventions of BC’s Human Rights Code. It must provide a wheelchair-accessible option in the Lower Mainland by March 1, 2025.