Uber, Lyft, Via Sue City Over Wheelchair Requirements

Ride Hailing app companies Uber, Lyft and Via banded together to sue the Taxi and Limousine Commission over mandatory wheelchair requirements.

In December, the Taxi and Limousine Commission passed a rule requiring every base, or company, to dispatch 25 percent of its trips in wheelchair-accessible vehicles by July 2023.

The lawsuit calls this rule "a well-intentioned but unreasonable rule." The companies argue it could cost $1 billion to comply, and that the 25 percent number is arbitrary and doesn't reflect the demand of riders.

“This lawsuit proves once and for all that Uber, Lyft and other ridesharing companies just don’t give a damn about providing equal access to New York’s wheelchair users," Dustin Jones, of United for Equal Access New York, wrote in a statement. “Uber and Lyft have sought to manipulate the disability community and elected officials by claiming they want to bring equitable transportation options to all New Yorkers – but they just want to keep discriminating against wheelchair users like me.  

The TLC is facing another lawsuit from black car livery companies claiming that the TLC is in violating the driver's civil rights by forcing them to comply with this rule.

“We applaud the city for its desire to provide wheelchair accessible service and are committed to working with the TLC to increase access to reliable service to New Yorkers in wheelchairs,” a spokesperson for Uber wrote in a statement.

"We haven't yet received the papers, but it will in no way dissuade the city from ensuring that persons with disabilities have access to the widest range of transportation options," said Kimberly Joyce, a spokesperson with the New York City law department.