Disabled people to receive equal access to city’s Uber Kyle $3.14 program

The City of Kyle has agreed to ensure disabled people have equal access to its Uber Kyle $3.14 program, says the US Attorney’s Office.

The program allows Kyle residents and visitors to travel in an UberX vehicle to anywhere within Kyle’s city limits for as little as $3.14. After a rider pays the first $3.14 of an UberX fare for a qualifying trip, the City subsidizes the next $10. 

The program also allows disabled individuals to request wheelchair accessible vehicles through the UberWAV platform. Individuals who request UberWAV vehicles also pay the first $3.14 of a qualifying trip, while the City subsidizes the next $10 plus any additional charges specific to that service.

The US Attorney’s Office opened an investigation in 2020 to determine if the program was equitable and complied with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which says no qualified individual with a disability may be excluded from participation in or be denied the benefits of the services, programs or activities of a public entity.

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The investigation allegedly uncovered significant disparities in UberX and UberWAV vehicles being available in Kyle, with UberWAV vehicles not available more than 40% of the time. When UberWAV vehicles were available, the average wait time was “substantially longer” than the average wait time for UberX, says the US Attorney’s Office. A Kyle resident who uses a wheelchair also reportedly had complained to the City regarding the lack of accessible vehicles in the program.

The City was informed of the findings and has contracted with a vendor to supplement the program with additional wheelchair-accessible vehicles, says the US Attorney’s Office. 

The settlement agreement reached between the city and the US Attorney’s Office requires Kyle to maintain that contract, or a similar one or program, that increases the availability of wheelchair-accessible vehicles. The City must also advertise accessibility improvements to the program on the City’s website and Twitter account.

For more information on the ADA or this settlement agreement, call the toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TDD) or visit the ADA website.

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texasstandard.news contributed to this report.

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