Lyft Accused of Charging Disabled Passengers Fees After Drivers Refused to Transport Them in $53M Lawsuit

Lyft charged passengers with disabilities cancellation fees for rides its drivers refused to give them, the US Justice Department alleges in a $53 million (£39.5 million) lawsuit.

The complaint was filed on 9 November 2026 in the US District Court for the Northern District of California. It says Lyft breached the Americans with Disabilities Act, which bars transport firms from refusing disabled riders or adding disability-related charges.

The money is for riders who complained to Lyft or the department. It also seeks a civil penalty, a court order forcing policy changes and driver training, and a jury trial. Lyft disputes the allegations.

How Lyft Riders Allegedly Ended Up Paying for Refused Trips

Sharon Zenger, a deaf-blind teacher from Vancouver, Washington, was turned away in June 2026 by a driver who repeatedly said 'no dog' and locked his doors, the complaint says. Ignoring her request to cancel, he parked nearby with the trip still open.

Lyft allegedly charged her a no-show fee, refunding it only after she complained with video. The amount is not stated.

Patricia Ebel of Secaucus, New Jersey, who is legally blind, was allegedly refused by three drivers in a row on her July 2025 commute home. One left without ending the booking, and she was billed a cancellation fee.

James Rath, a legally blind man from Franklin, Tennessee, was stranded at an airport late at night in June 2026. The driver allegedly refused his guide dog and drove off without ending the trip, so Rath could not book another car.

Government lawyers say Lyft, which sets the rules on cancellation fees, refunds them only when passengers complain and does not check independently for wrongful charges.

Lyft's $10 Answer to Complaints

Lyft allegedly did not follow up on Rath's complaint until he posted on social media three months later, then gave him a $10 (£7.45) credit.

Retired federal appeals judge David Tatel, who is blind, received a form reply and the same credit after a driver allegedly locked him, his wife, and his guide dog out of the car in September 2026. Lyft refused to say whether the driver was removed, citing privacy.

The department says Lyft added an opt-in tool for flagging a service animal only after learning of the investigation. Rath, Zenger, and Ebel all used it and were still refused.

Lyft gets thousands of disability discrimination complaints yearly, the filing says. The 14 riders named come from 12 states and Washington, DC, and include wheelchair users.

In a statement, Lyft said: 'Discrimination has no place in the Lyft community.' It said drivers who break its accommodation policies face 'serious consequences, including permanent deactivation,' and that it had cooperated with the review.

Not the First Federal Clash for Lyft and Uber

In June 2020, Lyft settled, without admitting wrongdoing, Justice Department allegations involving users of folding wheelchairs and walkers. It paid a $40,000 (£29,800) civil penalty, compensated four riders, and agreed for three years to refund cancellation charges and issue credits of at least $10 (£7.45) on plausible complaints.

US Attorney Craig H. Missakian of the Northern District of California, whose office is also suing Uber, pledged 'all the resources necessary to make things right.'

The Uber suit, filed in September 2025, seeks $125 million (£93.2 million) and alleges Uber charged cleaning fees for service animal shedding and cancellation fees to riders it refused. A judge refused to dismiss it on 5 March 2026. No trial date has been set.