Woman says she was denied Uber ride due to wheelchair

<p>A woman is calling for Uber to make changes after she says a driver refused to accommodate her wheelchair.</p>

News 12 Staff

Jun 25, 2018, 7:09 PM

Updated 2,298 days ago

Share:

A woman is calling for Uber to make changes after she says a driver refused to accommodate her wheelchair.
Bryanna Copeland says it happened last Tuesday as she was trying to get a ride from her job to her home in Franklin Square.
Copeland says that when the driver pulled up and saw she was in a wheelchair, he said, "Where is that thing going?"
She says the driver also told her he didn't have room in his SUV for her foldable wheelchair. Copeland says she told the driver that he was in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
"It's discrimination, what you're doing based on my wheelchair, because if I didn't have my wheelchair and I was just walking you would have found a way. And chances are if I had luggage and I was trying to get in, you probably still would’ve had a way to get me and my luggage in there -- if I didn't have a wheelchair," says Copeland.
Copeland is calling on Uber to take disciplinary action against the driver. She also wants the company to educate other drivers about the Americans with Disabilities Act.
In a statement, an Uber spokesperson said, "Uber is committed to making the Uber app accessible for anyone wanting a safe, reliable and convenient way to get around -- whether visually impaired, hard of hearing or a wheelchair user."
But Copeland says accessibility can't be claimed without following through with it.
"There has to be a change," she says.
"As a company that is that big in net worth, you can do better, and better training of your drivers," says Copeland's mother, Veronica Copeland.