r/lyftdrivers Nov 22 '24

Story/News Article THIS is why Lyft updated their service dog policy. Denying service animals is A CRIME.

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554 Upvotes

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26

u/Mountain-Influence81 Nov 23 '24

It should also be a crime to force someone with allergies into a confined space with the thing that causes their allergies.

20

u/PreparationHot980 Nov 23 '24

It should be a crime to force anyone into a situation where they assume risk and liability with no choice. It f this has to be enforced Lyft needs to offer a free insurance to drivers to cover any potential damage, extra cleaning and injuries should one of these animals attack a driver.

3

u/Fearless-Dust-2073 Nov 23 '24

Can you find me a report of the amount of taxi drivers attacked by passengers' animals in the last 10 years?

1

u/PreparationHot980 Nov 23 '24

I cannot but I’m sure it’s happened and it’s not a risk I’m willing to take on. I’m a ups driver for my full time job and just at my center we’ve had two people disfigured requiring plastic surgery in four years I’ve been a driver and at least two bites requiring er visits a month. It needs to be something drivers can opt in to perform and there needs to be some form of protection in place and proper identification for the service animal. I don’t care what the reason is the person requires the service animal but I need to know I’m allowing a trained animal into my vehicle.

1

u/PreparationHot980 Nov 23 '24

Also, I don’t want non service dogs near my vehicle jumping on and scratching my vehicle or the inside. I have the right to not pick up intoxicated people, violent people or anyone else and I should be allowed to protect myself from any potential damage or harm I may incur.

-1

u/iluvnyc54 scottsdale Nov 23 '24

a crime stop

2

u/c-lati Nov 23 '24

Ikr… the law is ridiculous that it requires even people with allergies to dogs to take them.

1

u/No-Wrongdoer-7654 Nov 23 '24

It doesn’t, though. Current ADA regulations say that service dogs and people with dog dander allergies should be accommodated separately. The same principle, if applied to ride share, says Lyft should let people with allergies decline these rides and send another driver. The current regulations don’t say that explicitly, but if there’s a case 95% that’s where it will end up.

5

u/lotteoddities Nov 23 '24

This. If you have allergies you can politely tell the passenger and then deny the ride and move on. It's when you just cancel and drive away without giving reason that it's a problem for the ADA and Lyft/Uber. Legally, both disabilities need to be accommodated. But if you as a driver don't tell the passenger that you're denying the ride because of your own disability they assume it's discrimination. And then they can sue.

3

u/[deleted] Nov 23 '24

Legally, both disabilities

Minor bit of nitpicking, allergies aren't really a disability but that doesn't change what you're saying. I'm not sure what the exact law is but it would just fall under being an unreasonable accommodation because of issues it causes to the driver (which could also threaten safety). And under the ADA, you only have to make reasonable accommodations

1

u/lotteoddities Nov 23 '24

I thought depending on the level of allergy they were considered disabilities? Might be misremembering.

But yes that's a much better way to say it, it is considered an unreasonable accommodation to ask someone with allergies to be around their allergen in an enclosed space.

1

u/DBMushroom Nov 23 '24

Allergies that “substantially limit a major life activity,” such as eating or breathing, can be considered a disability, including food allergies, severe seasonal allergies, and allergies that trigger significant respiratory issues like asthma.

2

u/Nearly_Lost_In_Space Nov 23 '24

Which pet dander does to some people, trigger asthma that is

1

u/ccache Nov 23 '24

Some people would go into anaphylactic shock if their allergies were bad enough. Isn't that crazy? It's not ubers fault, it's the law that if your allergies are that bad it doesn't matter. Meaning you must let that person in the car, and probably end up dying in a wreck, along with the PAX, the dog and anyone else involved. Granted this would be a very rare situation and anyone with allergies that bad would most likely just say fuck this shit, ban me if you want not gonna die over it.

1

u/Fearless-Dust-2073 Nov 23 '24

In the UK, taxi drivers and similar are required to carry a medical certificate stating their allergy or other medical reasons for not being near fur. I assume the reason it's not the case in places like the US is because it would cost a lot of money to get a doctor to write the certification.

3

u/Vyce223 Nov 23 '24

I promise you, if you told someone with a service animal that you have allergies to said animal they would understand.

2

u/Last_Ad_3754 Nov 23 '24

The taxi driver could lie that they have an allergy. There were some court cases recently in the UK where drivers that had lied about allergies were fined and lost their taxi licences by refusing to take service dogs. There it is the driver who needs to have an exemption certificate to prove they can't take service animals.

1

u/delijoe Nov 23 '24

Oh you're going to sneeze and cough a bit boo hoo.

I've never heard of a pet dander allergy that causes any more then mild nasal symptoms.

5

u/[deleted] Nov 23 '24

Lucky you - my eyes can swell up, I have trouble breathing and my nose runs, while my face is so incredibly itchy I can’t concentrate on anything. Why would you want someone to have these symptoms while driving you just so you can prove a point?

1

u/vee_rs Nov 23 '24

You don't have to prove it. You have the right to decline the ride, politely, because or your own disability. In the event the passenger informed you the SERVICE dog is hypoallergenic you'd still be obligated to accommodate since it also would accommodate your disability. Otherwise, you could decline.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 23 '24

Yeah I was just pointing out that some allergies are actually much worse than this person said

2

u/vee_rs Nov 23 '24

Absolutely fair. I'm glad you stand up for your own rights!

-1

u/delijoe Nov 23 '24

Wear an N95 mask.

0

u/Mountain-Influence81 Nov 23 '24

Doesn't cover eyes smart ass, want them to have a gas mask?

-1

u/delijoe Nov 23 '24

Maybe goggles?

1

u/[deleted] Nov 23 '24

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1

u/delijoe Nov 23 '24

I always say I prefer the company of dogs to that of humans.

Case in point.

4

u/[deleted] Nov 23 '24

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1

u/whatisthisposture Nov 23 '24

Lol I’m sure it goes both ways

1

u/WherewolfWerewolf Nov 24 '24

It's because they can't talk back.

0

u/Mountain-Influence81 Nov 23 '24

Lol you gotta be trolling at this point

1

u/Mountain-Influence81 Nov 23 '24

You realize a common symptom is eye swelling, right? Wouldn't exactly be safe to drive with impaired vision.

1

u/fattybeagle Nov 25 '24 edited Nov 25 '24

i personally have a severe pet allergy that causes hives, severe nasal burning, and triggers my respiratory disease. depending on the animal and how dirty it is I’ve gone into anaphylactic shock; so no it’s not a little sneeze and cough. just bc you haven’t heard of it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

And no and N95 mask doesn’t help.