Uber will compensate passengers with disabilities who paid ‘waiting fee’

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US prosecutors said on Monday that Uber will pay millions of dollars in compensation to tens of thousands of passengers with disabilities who have been charged an extra fee.

The case, brought by the US Department of Justice, focused on users with disabilities who would have been forced to pay late fees because they needed more time to get into the vehicles.

Under the agreement, Uber will give credits to more than 65,000 passengers who meet the necessary requirements worth twice the waiting fees charged to them. The total amount of compensation can be millions of dollars.

The mobility company also agreed to pay more than $1.7 million to passengers who complained about the fees and $500,000 to other affected people.

“Persons with disabilities should not feel like second-class citizens or punished for their disability, which is exactly what Uber’s wait-time rate policy has done,” said Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general.

The mobile app charges an extra fee if a driver has to wait more than two minutes to pick up any passengers, but the Justice Department said applying such fees to users with disabilities amounts to unlawful discrimination.

The company, which said it was “satisfied” with the agreement, said that “before this matter was raised, we introduced amendments so that any passenger who reports having a disability is automatically exempted from waiting time fees.”

Uber will also ensure that refunds are readily available should such fees be charged in error.

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