Having a service dog is similar to an elderly person using a cane. They assist with mobility, provide protection, and are specially trained. People with service animals also have legal rights, allowing them to access places where pets are normally not permitted. That includes Uber rides, which one Washington man was denied twice in a single day because of his service animal.
Matthew and Paul (TikTok/Matthewandpaul) shared the frustrating experience on TikTok, wherein Paul is immediately heard being denied by his first Uber driver of the day. Before Paul can get in the vehicle, the Uber driver insists Paul has to pay a pet fee. However, before anything can be done, the driver cancels because he explains, “I don’t want pets.”
Paul tries to quickly clear the air, arguing to the driver that he isn’t a pet, but essentially “medical equipment.” After all, Paul is blind and his service animal is an official guide dog. In other words, getting around outside is practically impossible without that assistance. Despite Paul also warning the Uber driver that it’s “against the law,” they end up getting a ride from another Uber driver. This one, however, lets Paul’s dog in without a problem.
Later in the day, Paul and Matthew hail a third Uber driver, who gives them the same rigmarole. He too insists Paul has to pay a pet fee, which he once again shuts down. He tells the driver the same deal: whether you like it or not, it’s a service dog and it’s against the law to deny him access.
In both cases, Paul was in touch with Uber, and both canceled, to which the company asked for details. “It causes me a lot of anxiety to be denied. It doesn’t feel good, because he’s not a pet,” Paul says in his TikTok video. He understood not wanting an animal in your vehicle, but wanted the Uber drivers to understand the finer points of their job.
Paul’s Uber Experience Sparks Online Discourse
Although most of the comments to Paul and Matthew’s TikTok video are positive, some were genuinely curious. While Paul may be blind, some TikTok users wondered what Uber drivers are supposed to do, stirring debate online.
“My sister is highly allergic. I don’t believe one medical issue should minimize another,” one of the top comments on TikTok read. In the same thread, another TikTok user argued the two aren’t comparable. “If you are allergic to dogs then you are not qualified to be an Uber driver or any job that requires to be in an enclosed space with members of the public,” they added.
“As an uber driver service animals can not be denied,” wrote one TikTok user. Others pointed out the ADA doesn’t accept dog allergies as a “valid reason.”
Uber itself also weighed in on the discussion via its official TikTok account, stating what Paul experienced was “definitely not okay” and that an investigation was underway. Not surprising as Uber’s own Service Animal Policy states drivers can’t discriminate against someone for having a service animal.
Though Paul agrees a situation like this is “pretty crummy” for both parties and that no one should be “forced,” but that the law is pretty clear on service animals.
