This story was also covered on ABC TV news.
A woman refused dozens of Uber trips while travelling with her guide dog has demanded action and transparency from the multinational rideshare giant, after it quietly agreed to an external review of its Australian operations as part of a court settlement.
First reported by the ABC last year, Victorian woman Paula Hobley took Uber to the Federal Court, alleging drivers broke disability discrimination laws by refusing to pick up her guide dog on more than 30 occasions.
Ms Hobley and Uber settled the case late last year, without an admission of liability, after a period of mediation.
The external review will examine Uber drivers’ refusals to transport people with assistance animals and be chaired by a person with disability.
Ms Hobley said she was exhausted and her battle with Uber, which started after her first refusal in 2021, felt at times like it was ‘David vs Goliath’.
‘It’s one person taking on an entire company to forge a path towards justice,’ she said.
…
Mitchell Skipsey — a senior solicitor at the Justice and Equity Centre, which represented Ms Hobley — said the review was a cause for optimism.
But he warned the issue was not fixed yet, and guide dog handlers would continue to be refused Uber rides in the meantime.
‘I think the review process is a meaningful commitment to identify a solution and implement it [and] the two-year process is perhaps a necessary evil, where it does take some time to solve these kinds of issues,’ he said.
‘The shame here is that it hasn’t happened sooner, that the two years, as it were, starts from now, when it’s been a problem for a long time and it’s the kind of thing that could have been tackled earlier.’
