A blind Tennessee man, James Rath, says he was left stranded at a Nashville-area airport after his Lyft driver refused to transport his guide dog and then refused to cancel the ride, preventing him from booking another one. The man travels with a trained guide dog named Hobie, which he says is protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act. His account has since drawn hundreds of thousands of views online and a response from Lyft itself.
The story was shared on Rath’s TikTok account, @jamesrath. In the video, he says he had waited several minutes for a driver after a long day of travel when the driver saw Hobie and said he does not take dogs. According to the man, Lyft had already flagged Hobie as a service animal on his account before the driver accepted the trip.
Rather than cancel the ride, the man says the driver left the airport and drove around for roughly 10 minutes while the trip remained active. Because riders can only have one active Lyft ride at a time, he says he was unable to request another driver.
The Tennessee man also claims the driver was waiting for him to cancel first. He says that would have left him without a clear record of the alleged service-animal denial while allowing the driver to avoid potential consequences for canceling the trip himself.
Rath says the situation is part of a broader pattern he has encountered with rideshare drivers, alleging that some drivers stall or remain stationary after discovering a passenger has a service dog rather than canceling the ride outright. He says the resulting delays can interfere with trips to work, medical appointments and other commitments.
Lyft says its drivers receive training on service-animal accommodations and that reports of service-animal access issues are investigated. The company has also said drivers who violate its policies can lose access to the platform.
Lyft’s official TikTok account responded directly to Rath’s video, writing: “We are so sorry this happened to you. This is unacceptable. We saw your Instagram and tried to get in touch with you there. Please send us a DM on either platform so we can make sure this driver is held accountable.”
Tennessee Man’s Lyft Drama Has People Talking
The video’s comment section drew thousands of responses, with much of the discussion focused on the driver’s alleged refusal. Some commenters argued that drivers who are unwilling to transport service animals should not accept rides where one is present. One user wrote, “Don’t be a driver if you won’t carry service animals.”
Others raised questions about situations involving severe allergies, dog phobias or previous negative experiences with dogs, asking how those circumstances should be handled when a passenger relies on a service animal. Current and former rideshare drivers also joined the discussion, with some saying service-animal policies and ADA-related training exist but can be overlooked or skipped.
The Tennessee man says the experience has left him frustrated that he has to account for additional delays simply because some drivers may refuse to transport his guide dog. For him, the issue goes beyond one missed ride: he says passengers who rely on service animals should not have to build extra time into ordinary trips in anticipation of being denied service.
