Judge: Uber Can't Be Expected to Offer Wheelchair-Accessible Rides Everywhere

pcmag.com:

Chief Judge Richard Seeborg of the US District Court for the Northern District of Northern California has ruled that Uber doesn't need to provide wheelchair-accessible rides in all cities.

The Verge reports(Opens in a new window) that Seeborg issued his ruling, which states that Uber's decision not to deploy wheelchair-accessible vehicles (WAVs) in all cities doesn't violate the Americans with Disabilities Act, on July 25. Seeborg explains in the introduction of his ruling:

Plaintiffs have not met their burden of establishing that their requested modification is reasonable, and thus have not prevailed on their claim for violation of 42 U.S.C. § 12184(b)(2)(A) for failure to make a reasonable modification. Further, even though Uber’s vehicle requirements screened out WAVs from operating on the platform, there is no guarantee—or even a strong likelihood—that a person requiring a WAV would be matched with such a vehicle on the UberX platform, and thus Plaintiffs’ claim that Defendants screened out people with disabilities in violation of 42 U.S.C. § 12184(b)(1) fails as well.

This reasoning is... somewhat circular. It seems like Seeborg is saying that it's okay for Uber to screen WAVs from its platform, and because the company doesn't allow riders to choose specific vehicles, it's okay for people who require WAVs to be excluded from using the service.

It also seems(Opens in a new window) that some vehicles designated as WAVs can't accommodate some Uber customers, and even in cities where these WAVs are supposed to be available, riders who require them can't always be(Opens in a new window) picked up in a timely fashion. (Or at all, in some cases.)

But the biggest hurdle for making WAVs available in all US cities is the