Uber Canada’s service animal policy criticized by some disability rights advocates
TORONTO — Uber Canada has launched a new policy on how its drivers deal with customers who have service animals, but some disability rights advocates say exemptions built into the rules could still lead to discrimination.
The company’s policy says drivers who refuse to give rides to customers with service animals will be dismissed.
But drivers could get an exemption if they provide Uber with “written evidence, like a doctor’s or cleric’s letter … confirming that they belong to a group protected by human rights legislation and how carrying the service animal is an undue hardship,” the policy says.
Uber Canada said the exemptions reflect the two most common reasons their drivers have provided for not wanting service animals in their cars: dog allergies and religious rules about contact with dogs.