[NAGDU] Uber Service Animal Self ID Program

Wed Apr 9 17:31:42 UTC 2025

The only thing I can add to this discussion is a question about potential training for drivers. Are we as “service animal” groups enlisting allies within the driver community of various ethnic groups, who speak various languages? Sometimes the message comes over better from someone in your peer group. 

Not to make excuses at all for denials but I had one recently like yours, Julie, in which the person had no idea what service animal meant, what guide dog meant, what Seeing eye Dog meant. I had to tell him I was blind and this was my helper dog before he understood. Then he was fine and we had a lovely trip but prior to that we were at a standstill. 

I’m wondering if we’re assuming too much and not factoring in our own cultural sensitivity when it comes to the training ride share companies provide. 

Otherwise, I’m incredibly frustrated on your behalf, Julie as I keep reading accounts of  denials like yours.  

> On Apr 9, 2025, at 9:35 AM, Melissa Allman via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi Julie. I’m so frustrated on your behalf. The driver should get a notification that says “rider has a service animal.” If they hit cancel at that point, the app reminds them that it’s against the law and Uber’s policy to deny access. If they still hit cancel, then it’s supposed to trigger a streamlined complaint process available to you in the app or through a link in your email. If the drivers ignore the pop-up and just arrive and see you and then decide they don’t want to take you and cancel, I would think that the pop-up in your app about filing a complaint should still pop up. What was your experience? Were you easily able to file complaints either with the link in your email or the prompt in the app, or did you have to dig around  in the menus like we normally had to do and file a complaint that way? This of course assumes that people just have time to monitor what they’re getting in the app and file complaints somewhat contemporaneously, but I still wanted to ask what your experience was on that front.
>  
> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org <mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org>> On Behalf Of Julie A. Orozco via NAGDU
> Sent: Tuesday, April 8, 2025 9:34 PM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users' <nagdu at nfbnet.org <mailto:nagdu at nfbnet.org>>
> Cc: Julie A. Orozco <kaybaycar at gmail.com <mailto:kaybaycar at gmail.com>>
> Subject: [NAGDU] Uber Service Animal Self ID Program
>  
> Good evening fellow guide dog users,
>  
> I hope all of you are doing well. I am *finally* working my third guide dog, a male chocolate lab from The Seeing Eye, called Xavier. He’s a wonderful dog and a joy to work.
>  
> Of course, working a dog brings about the inevitable Uber denials. I’ve gotten three so far, and we’ve only been home a couple of weeks. (Uber and Lyft are really terrible in the DC area.)
>  
> For some reason, Sunday was just a bad day for me and Uber. I have self ID turned on, so drivers should be notified when they arrive that they are picking up someone with a service animal and that they are required by law to allow us in their car. At least, that was my understanding. But these drivers seem unable to understand the self ID notification. Either that, or they are not being notified properly.
>  
> I had three drivers on Sunday going to and from a friend’s house. The first driver took me, only when I pointed to my eyes and told him I was blind and that my dog was working. (Sometimes, looking blind has its advantages.) He did not understand when I asked him if the app told him I was traveling with a service animal.
>  
> The second driver, the one who was set to take me home, refused us access. He did not speak English, but even when my friend and I pulled out Google translate, he would not budge. He said no dogs in his car and even canceled the ride. I am not sure if he received the notification, but he seemed totally clueless about the whole service animal thing. I don’t think he was faking it either because if so, he wouldn’t have wanted to cancel the ride himself.
>  
> The third driver didn’t want to take me at first either. I had to explain to him what my dog was for, and once I did, he got it. I asked him if he received the notification, and he said yes but that he didn’t get a chance to read it. He said he could just get passed it without reading it.
>  
> So, my questions follow. Are drivers being notified and trained about their requirements under law to take service animal teams in their language of choice? Second, what does the notification system look like? I imagined something that would pop up and force them to read before proceeding with the trip. How are so many of my drivers seeming confused about me and my guide dog? Is this still happening to anyone else? Or do I live in the land of Uber access denials?
>  
> I was hesitant about self ID, but I am happy with it because it doesn’t alert the drivers until they arrive. It’s like Uber telling them for me when I’m right there that the driver has to follow the law and take me with my service animal. But it’s not effective if drivers can just ignore the notifications.
>  
> Apologies for the long email, and thank you for any perspective you can provide.
>  
> Julie
>  
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