In an effort to persuade Uber SA to reform its policy, the South African Guide-Dogs Association for the Blind filed a court application at the Gauteng High Court earlier this month following incidents in which drivers refused to allow guide dogs during rides – despite them being trained.
The non-profit organisation provides services for people with disabilities, who have visual, physical or developmental needs, with trained guide dogs, service dogs and autism support dogs.
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The association aims to enable services that are user-friendly to people living with blindness, reported City Press. In its court application, SA Guide-Dogs said many of its members rely on Uber services for their daily activities but cannot access Uber rides, particularly at night.
‘Now imagine, you are blind, you attend a work function at night and you need to get home after the event. You have your eyes standing in a harness right next to you, reassuringly leaning against you, leading the way, giving you protection and the strength to push forward in the dark of your world,’ said SA Guide-Dogs Executive Director Vernon Tutton in the affidavit.
‘You call the Uber assist driver to take you home safely, you wait alone patiently for the Uber driver to arrive…you hear the Uber driver – a stranger to you – say, I do not take dogs.’
According to the publication, Tutton states in the affidavit that the drivers’ refusal to accept guide dogs is an act of discrimination.
The association reportedly reached out to Uber SA regarding its members’ unpleasant encounters, to which it had received no response.
‘There must be consequences for the unfair and unjustifiable discrimination by the Uber drivers. Uber is not willing to take accountability. The honourable court must step in and hold Uber accountable for the conduct of the very drivers who provide the transport services to members of the public under the banner and brand of Uber,’ read the affidavit.
Tutton also emphasised that the drivers who had refused were given relevant information that the guide dogs were trained and would not attack the driver or damage the car.
‘The service dogs are bred and trained to the highest standards and function as an aide, assisting and supporting those persons who suffer from a physical disability limiting their movement and mobility,’ the document continued.
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The affidavit also argued that free movement is a constitutional right, which applies to members of the South African Guide-Dogs Association for the Blind.
‘Assistance dogs are clearly identifiable in public by means of their jacket or leather harness. A guide dog will be accompanied by the blind or visually impaired person and a service dog will be accompanied by a physically disabled person who uses crutches or a wheelchair.’
Head of public relations Pieter van Niekerk told City Press that the association has further brought the matter to the attention of the equity court, adding that the discriminatory behaviour of Uber drivers should be condemned and the e-hailing giant should be held accountable.
The publication reached out to Uber SA Head of Communications Lorraine Onduru, who has not responded to the enquiry.
The court application from the SA Guide-Dogs Association for the Blind was a long time coming after a change.org petition by SA National Council for the Blind’s assistive technology centre manager Hanif Kruger brought Uber drivers’ alleged discrimination against people with disabilities in March 2023, reported Mail & Guardian.
The petition, in which Kruger described his experience of discrimination from an Uber rider as a blind person, called for Uber SA and other e-hailing services to address issues of discrimination through better policies and support for all, regardless of their abilities.
As per the publication, the association made its intention to take the e-hailing service company to court in January 2024.
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