Uber sued by US Justice Department for ripping off disabled riders

Ride-hailing app Uber is facing a lawsuit from the US Department of Justice (DoJ) on allegations of overcharging people with disabilities.

According to the DoJ, Uber’s “wait time” fees discriminate against disabled passengers, who need more than two minutes to get into a car. The DoJ says Uber is in non-compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Uber, however, said it disagreed with the allegations. It said wait-time fees were not intended to apply to disabled riders and that it had been refunding such fees when they were brought to its notice.

Kristen Clarke, assistance attorney general for the DoJ’s civil rights