Arman Ali, an employee of the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) recently took to Facebook to share his horrific experience with Uber which led him to miss his flight and incur a significant financial loss.
According to his post, the differently abled Ali first booked his cab to the airport which was cancelled by the driver even after a telephonic confirmation. Later when he booked his second cab, the driver who was not able to put his wheelchair in the boot refused to do the trip altogether even after his request and suggestion to put his wheelchair in the backseat.
His post said, “I was unceremoniously pushed out of the cab and he cancelled the trip. I lost a huge amount of time due to these two Uber drivers’ misbehavior. When I finally reached the airport, the counter was already closed and I had missed the flight. Thus, I had to buy a new ticket for 14000 INR and wait for two more hours. This also resulted in me missing out an important meeting scheduled for the same evening.”
He also mentioned how people with disabilities face issues like these on a daily basis even after India has signed CRPD and passed the RPWD 2016 that protects the rights and dignity of people with disabilities.
In an interview he said, “The point I am trying to make is Uber cannot do such a thing in the US or UK but get away by doing so in India despite the new RPWD Act 2016.”
The Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) which was passed in 2016 in India emphasises on accessibility. It focuses on ensuring that ‘persons with disabilities get barrier-free access to physical infrastructure and transport systems’.
On being asked about the incident Uber spokesperson said,
“Any sort of discrimination is strictly against our Community Guidelines. We are investigating the case internally, and have also been in contact with the rider.”
Meanwhile the netizens are calling out the authorities to demand action against this discrimination:
