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Everyone should have access to safe, affordable and reliable transport – and Uber’s platform aims to help provide that for all riders, everywhere.
Unfortunately, Aussies and Kiwis with an assistance animal often can face service refusal across many sectors, including point-to-point transport. Today we’re excited to unveil new optional features, developed over the past two years in collaboration with leading advocacy organizations and riders with assistance animals, that will help make the Uber experience even better.
Starting today, Riders can self-identify as travelling with an assistance animal through the Accessibility setting in the Uber app, which unlocks features designed to enhance their experience, including:
- The option for riders to disclose to the driver that they are traveling with an assistance animal at pickup, so the driver knows how to best support them
- Ongoing monitoring of driver cancellations and proactive support messages from Uber to check in with the rider and offer support if needed
- Access to Uber’s dedicated customer service team via phone, available 24/7
- On-trip reminders to drivers about their legal obligation to accept riders with an assistance animal
With this update, our goal is to foster clearer communication and greater confidence for both riders and drivers throughout their journey.
Riders with assistance animals can follow these simple steps to use the feature:
- Check the iOS App Store or Google Play Store to ensure you have the latest version of the Uber app installed
- Tap Account > Settings
- Tap Accessibility and select Assistance animal
- Tap Complete eligibility form and complete the eligibility form
6. Select ‘I will ride with my assistance animal’ – this information is shared with Uber only and not with the driver.
7. Optional: If you want to disclose your self-ID information with the driver you can do so by selecting I want drivers to know when ‘Driver arrive to pick me up’. You can change this setting or opt-out of self-identification at any time.
Regardless of whether a rider with an assistance animal chooses to use self-ID, Uber’s assistance animal Policy and Community Guidelines are clear: drivers are prohibited from refusing service to riders with assistance animals or discriminating against them due to their assistance animal. Any driver who violates this policy may permanently lose access to the platform.
Optional driver disclosure
Self-ID riders can choose whether to disclose that they are traveling with an assistance animal. You can change this setting at any time.
- No disclosure: Drivers won’t see any indication of an assistance animal in your profile or when they receive or accept your trip request. They will only see a reminder of their legal obligations regarding assistance animals if they attempt to cancel a trip for a rider who has opted into self-ID.
- Disclosure at pickup: Drivers will be notified upon arrival at the pickup location, so they know how to best support you.
Proactive support & cancellation reviews
If a rider with an assistance animal experiences a driver cancellation at pickup, we understand that can be stressful. With this in mind, for self-identified riders, we monitor cancellations and will proactively send a support message to the rider after the cancellation asking what happened so we can provide additional support where needed.
Any rider with an assistance animal who prefers not to use the self-ID feature but needs support can reach out to us through the app as always.
Dedicated Phone Support
Self-ID riders have access to an exclusive 24/7 phone support number, available through the Uber app Help section, to address any issues or questions.
Real time driver reminders
If a rider has opted into self-ID as ‘I will ride with my service animal’, regardless of their driver disclosure preference, drivers attempting to cancel at pickup may get an in-app reminder that refusing transport because of an assistance animal is against the law and Uber’s policy. A driver must acknowledge this reminder before a ride can be cancelled.
With these updates, we’re proud to take another step forward in making transportation more accessible for riders with assistance animals everywhere.
Posted by Uber