Two news regarding Lyft today. First, Minnesota has ruled that Lyft cannot deny passengers riding with their service animal, such as service dogs. And, a brand-new app is making waves in Utah, challenging Lyft when it comes to airport rides. Here are the scoops.
Minnesota: No denial for passengers riding with their service animals
Previously, there are reports on this Ridesharing Forum site about Lyft and other ridesharing apps denying rides to passengers with service animals. These service animals accompany riders who are suffering from a disability, such as blindness.
At times, ridesharing drivers deny service animals due to allergies, fear of animals, cultural beliefs, or lack of awareness about disability laws. Misunderstanding policies and concerns about vehicle cleanliness can also contribute.
However, things are changing.
In Minnesota, in particular, it is ruled out that Lyft cannot deny passengers traveling with their service animals. The ruling warned that Lyft drivers who do so could be deactivated and lose their ability to drive for Lyft if they violate this ruling.
Likewise, drivers cannot cancel or refuse rides only because a passenger is traveling with a service animal or with wheelchair. Or, if they are suffering from visual impairment.
“This case is a deeply personal thing to me because I travel pretty much everywhere with my guide dog,” stated passenger Andres said at a news conference, who has a black Labrador as their service animal. “He is my eyes. He is my freedom, and he is why I am able to live independently.”
Lyft is recognizing this ruling in Minnesota.
“Discrimination has no place in the Lyft community,” Lyft told Ridesharing Forum. “Lyft has maintained a strict service animal policy for nearly a decade, and independent drivers who violate that policy face serious consequences, including permanent deactivation. The commitments reflected in this agreement reaffirm the robust practices Lyft has already had in place to help ensure that riders who rely on service animals are treated with the respect they deserve."
Meanwhile, in Utah
In Utah, an entrepreneurial couple has created an app that solves the problem of getting airport rides without the high costs. They noticed that while there are several ridesharing rides waiting around airports, the fares are surging high.
“I just thought, why is there nobody in that kind of in-between space offering reliability?” Zachary Bretz, the owner of the business, recalled.
Thus, he created The Park City App, Utah’s only private competitor licensed as a transportation network company to shake up the duopoly of ridesharing apps.
While rides from The Park City App are also relatively high, the things around the business side are better, saying his drivers receive a bigger share of fares, at 80 percent, which Bretz believes leads “to better, more reliable service for customers.”
“My attitude has always been, this is America,” he told Ridesharing Forum. “If you have a dream and some tenacity and some capability, you can try anything.”
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