RideShare and TLC Fact Sheet
Have you been denied a ride because of your guide dog? Read the information collected here for important links. GDUES is dedicated to assisting all guide and service dog handlers at those times when your rights are being ignored.
- For suggestions on registering a complaint after a ride refusal from a medallion cab or private taxi or limousine company, go to the end of this page.
- For tracking ride refusals from Uber, Lift, and taxi services, please follow the links.
- . The complaint form helps blindness organizations like the National Federation of the Blind and the American Council of the Blind to collect information on the rideShare industry for reporting purposes.
- The information you provide allows the NFB and ACB to gather proof that this illegal and discriminating practice continues despite affirmative action. The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), as part of a class action settlement agreement, has established a RideShare watchdog committee and complaint process to help guide dog handlers report discriminatory practices.
Click the link below to register an Uber or LIFT rideShare complaint:
https://nfb.org/rideshare-test
If you haven’t yet, please take time to review the related rideShare testing FAQs and information webpages: https://nfb.org/rideshare and https://nfb.org/rideshare-faq.
We believe advocating for your rights as a service dog handler can not be overdone, therefore consider lodging a complaint through the specific company’s resolution center in addition to the NFB’s complaint, either on the web or via phone, if one is available. Below are the links to help:
UBER
Below are two links: the first is for the Uber Service Dog policy; the second is for the page to report any issues you had with denial of service or poor service related to service dogs.
Uber’s Service Dog Policy
https://help.uber.com/h/3326e6a8-fe66-434a-9d2c-45267d72d124
Reporting an Issue with Uber related to Service Dogs
https://help.uber.com/h/f838d975-8076-43f5-8ccf-a368cc507f55
LIFT
Service Animal Policy:
https://help.lyft.com/hc/en-us/articles/115013080048-Service-animal-policy
To report a problem, call the Service Animal Hotline at 1-844-250-3174.
A rider can also go to the link below and submit a form from the web:
https://help.lyft.com/hc/en-us/articles/115013080048-Service-animal-policy#report
Taxi and Limousine Companies
We know how frustrating and inconvenient it is to approach a cab only to hear the driver slam a door or yell, “No Dogs,” and drive away. Private taxi and limousine company’s, often referred to as a “TLC” may not train its drivers on service dog access rules. Local taxi companies, however, often work with customers but there are times when you may need to take action. Here are a few tips to help navigate the complaint process. Remember, unless you are refused a ride in a large city, like Manhattan, that has a 311 number to formalize your complaint you may find the process frustrating and difficult. Don’t give up and try these suggestions. The recommendations listed below are for times when a ride refusal has occurred and you have gotten to your destination to begin following up. You will most likely have already collected the information about the driver and car number, but perhaps not.
- Call the company’s dispatcher, get the driver’s information, the dispatcher’s information and ask them for the TLC phone number or the company’s owner’s contact information.
- Call the municipality law enforcement or police station and ask for the officer who works with the TLC for licensing drivers and speak to them and ask to make a complaint or have the driver served with a summons or ticket.
- If you are not provided with this information, contact the city hall or town hall’s clerk’s desk and ask the same questions.
- If you still don’t have a way to file a complaint, contact the district attorney’s office of the county in which the refusal happened and related all your information and what you did before calling them.
We hope you achieve the issuance of a summons or ticket of the driver in question. Stay strong and do not allow the individuals or companies in question to intimidate you, as this is also a form of discrimination. Below are some measures other handlers have taken but may not be appropriate at the time of the refusal, depending on your specific situation. (GDUES is not and will never suggest any action which puts a guide dog or its handler in danger. Please use good judgment and stay safe):
- use the camera on your mobile device to snap a photo of the car as it pulls up.
- Record the conversation on your mobile device.
- Ask a bystander to give you the cab number
Above all, be calm, communicate your needs as clearly as possible and remember being safe is the top priority.