Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid and Minnesota Department of Human Rights reach agreement with Lyft

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Minneapolis, Minn.): After rideshare company Lyft repeatedly denied transportation to a Minnesota college student who is blind, the company must now meet new standards for customer service. Going forward, Lyft’s performance and practices will be closely monitored by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, following a case pursued by the Minnesota Disability Law Center of Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid.

In 2021, Legal Aid client Tori Andres reported being left stranded by Lyft drivers when they saw her with her guide dog. “This case has been deeply personal to me,” Andres shares. “My guide dog Alfred is my freedom. He is the reason that I am able to live my life as a college student and athlete completely independently. I will never stop fighting for my rights and the many service dog teams out there who deserve to go about their lives without worrying about access issues.”

Attorney Chad Wilson of the Minnesota Disability Law Center says by the end of the investigation, Andres and Alfred were left behind seven times by Lyft. In all instances, Andres was on her way to medical appointments.  “Under Minnesota law, people with disabilities have the right to access transportation services with their service animals, yet refusals still happen far too often. No one should be turned away from a ride simply because they are traveling with a service animal.”

“For people with disabilities, access to rideshares like Lyft is not a convenience, it is a civil right,” said Minnesota Department of Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero. “This settlement with Lyft is an important step forward. It makes it clear that Minnesota will hold transportation providers accountable, and it reinforces that Minnesotans must be treated with dignity and afforded full access under the law.”

To ride with a service animal, no documentation is required, but a rider must answer two questions: “Is your animal required due to a disability?” And “What task has this animal been trained to perform?”

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Media contacts:

Lisa Ramirez | LRamirez@mylegalaid.org
Communications Director
Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid

Laura Smith | Laura.K.Smith@state.mn.us
Communications Director
Minnesota Department of Human Rights

Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid is a nonprofit law firm delivering free legal help to vulnerable neighbors in nine civil legal aid practice areas; and it is home to the Minnesota Disability Law Center, the federally designated Protection and Advocacy (P&A) agency for people with disabilities in the state of Minnesota.