Each month we try to address various accessibility issues that may arise within the TravelAbility community. 

What Would You Do?

An Uber driver pulls up to a scheduled ride and sees that the passenger is accompanied by a guide dog. The driver immediately shares that he has a severe allergy to dogs and says that he can’t let the dog in the car. The passenger, who is blind, is now stranded. Neither the driver nor the passenger are sure of what to do. If you were the driver? The passenger? The platform? What would you do?

Responses from Social Media:

Tricia Roth | Director of Marketing and Engagement, TravelAbility

“I think the Uber driver should arrange for another driver to come asap and if the person is alone stay with them until the next driver arrives.It would be great for Uber to include some type of filter on the app that addresses this issue so it does not happen repeatedly.”

Instagram Users

“The platform/app should have an option to indicate “guide dog” for the traveler, and “allergies” while onboarding new drivers.”

“Uber could provide incentives to drivers to provide these services. The online platform should have accessibility options to connect people with disabilities with equipped drivers.”

“The driver needs to contact Uber before pulling away and Uber should send a new driver.”

“The platform could ask about guide dogs, but that could make it even harder to get a ride.”

All respondents agreed that Uber should be responsible for finding a replacement driver before leaving the passenger. Adding accessibility filters to the platform would help avoid the situation altogether.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments!