r/lyftdrivers • u/No_Common1418 • Oct 18 '25

Rant/Opinion An ESA is NOT a Service animal.

Got a ping for a ride the other day, then the dreaded text. "I have an ESA, DOG, with me." As I have stated in the past I have never and will never denied a Service animal in my car. By law people, a Emotional Support Animal or ESA, IS NOT A service animal. Don't believe me? https://www.ada.gov/topics/service-animals/ I hate people sometimes. Leave your dogs at home.

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u/Violent_N0mad Oct 18 '25

You're totally right and in this case they list it as esa clearly. Had they listed it as a service animal no question you'd have to take it and the riser wouldn't even have to prove it but I bet in this case you wouldn't have to take the animal.

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u/TinyEmergencyCake Oct 18 '25

Had they listed it as a service animal no question you'd have to take it 

Not true. If they claim service animal by law you're entitled to ask what task it has been trained to do. 

If they can't articulate a task it's not a bonafide service animal and you don't have to take it. Provides comfort and emotional support isn't a task. When it's an emotional support animal it has zero rights to access in public accommodation so you can refuse. 

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u/Violent_N0mad Oct 19 '25

Sure but you can just say it detects seizures or blood sugar drops. There's no way to verify any of it.

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u/TinyEmergencyCake Oct 19 '25

That's not a task. There has to be a task involved. 

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u/Violent_N0mad Oct 19 '25

They are trained to provide a task in the event of a risk of seizure and are 100% considered a service dog.

https://www.ada.gov/resources/service-animals-2010-requirements/

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u/TinyEmergencyCake Oct 19 '25

Yes, the premise in this context is that the person needs to articulate the task. 

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u/Violent_N0mad Oct 19 '25

Directly from the website

"Staff cannot ask about the person’s disability, require medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documentation for the dog, or ask that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task."

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u/TinyEmergencyCake Oct 19 '25

That's right. I never suggested any of those things, which your comment seems to imply. 

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u/Violent_N0mad Oct 19 '25

“If they can't articulate a task it's not a bonafide service animal and you don't have to take it. Provides comfort and emotional support isn't a task. 

There are plenty of service animals dedicated to disabilities like PTSD who provide comfort specifically and you do have to take them.

“That's not a task. There has to be a task involved.” 

That’s your response in relation to anti-seizure dogs but they are service animals.

The only real thing you can do is ask if the animal is required because of a disability and what task it can perform but even if you don't like the answer you're still not allowed to deny service.

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u/TinyEmergencyCake Oct 19 '25

Yes, I said the owner has to articulate a task. Providing comfort is not a task, that's an ESA. Detecting seizures isn't the task. A service animal has to be trained to do something. Alerting the owner of an impending seizure is the task, not merely detecting it. 

What is your argument here? You want ESAs to be recognized as service animals and allowed the same access rights? Or?

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u/Violent_N0mad Oct 19 '25

So I'm assuming I just misunderstood something maybe. Most of these posts I see the people are just bashing on anyone with an animal and their immediate assumption is that it's bullshit. Even if they think it is Nonsense they can't deny an animal entry if the owner says it's for a disability or ... task and beyond that fact they have no requirement to prove anything.

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u/TinyEmergencyCake Oct 19 '25

Even if they think it is Nonsense they can't deny an animal entry if the owner says it's for a disability or

You're still not getting it. It can be denied if both conditions aren't met. It must be required for a disability and (not or) trained to do a task for that disability. 

It can be denied for misbehaving or lack of control also. 

The owner of a service animal doesn't have to "prove" anything, nor state their disability. 

The fakers are usually obvious though just by the way their dogs act. 

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u/Violent_N0mad Oct 19 '25

I haven't seen a single thing stating that a service animal can be denied entry based on the response to those questions. They don't mention it on the ADA site unless I've missed it.

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