Its never a complete news day if there are no reports of imminent lawsuits against Uber. Most of the lawsuits dogging Uber are mostly related to its Business model. There was particularly strong opposition to the UberPop/UberX service in most countries in Europe mostly due to security concerns. In some Nations such as India, Uber had to tweak its business model and become a taxi service provider instead of the ride sharing businesses. Uber is currently facing a class action suit brought against Uber and its competitor Lyft by its drivers seeking to be reclassified as employees as opposed to independent contractors.
Amidst these legal issues, Uber is also being sued by blind riders in California and a retired judge in Arizona for alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The suit contends that Uber and its drivers do not abide by the the Act as they are not able to pick up disabled riders who are blind or in wheelchairs. The United States law requires transportation companies to make reasonable accommodations for the disabled. One of the cases involves some Uber drivers allegedly refusing to transport customers with dogs.
Uber tackled the issues with UberPop/UberX by instituting tough regulations and guidelines for its drivers besides reviewing its terms of service, In India, Uber added panic buttons to the vehicles after rape allegations against a driver. It will be interesting to see how they dodge this one.
img credits: Reuters
