An Ottawa man who uses a service dog says an UberAssist driver tried to deny him and the dog access to a ride not once but twice.
Georges LaRoche says the most recent incident was on Oct. 9. He says the driver reluctantly agreed to take LaRoche and his dog back home after a Thanksgiving meal.
Once the trip was underway LaRoche says the driver told him he didn’t have to let the dog in the car “like he was doing me a favour.”
When LaRoche explained that under Uber regulations service dogs are accepted the driver “started screaming at me,” LaRoche says.
“He ended with ‘all us people, referring to handicapped people, use our handicaps as excuses for everything’ that shocked me,” LaRoche says. “I can’t express the emotions I went through at that time.”
In a statement Uber says:
"We have been in contact with the rider to let him know the experience he described is unacceptable. We are reaching out to the drivers to re-emphasize our Community Guidelines that prohibit any type of discrimination in serving riders with disabilities."
LaRoche says it “doesn’t sound like more than a slap on the wrist” but that it’s a step in the right direction.
