As a blind traveler, Uber’s convenience and accessibility features have transformed the way I move through the world. However, when traveling with my guide dog Sadie, I sometimes faced challenges with getting a ride, and I heard about similar experiences from other service animal handlers.  Uber Product Manager Chris and his guide dog Sadie

So with both the technical background and lived experience of navigating the world with a service animal, I joined Uber with a singular mission: to help expand accessibility in rideshare, including for those who rely on service animals.

Today we’re excited to unveil new optional features, developed over the past two years in collaboration with leading advocacy organizations and service animal handlers, that will help make the Uber experience even better. 

Self-identification for service animal handlers

Riders like myself often message drivers in advance to inform them they’re traveling with a service animal. Starting today, riders have the option to self-identify as service animal handlers in the Uber app and can choose to automatically notify drivers of this information when they arrive at the pickup location, eliminating any need to message the driver in advance. With this update, our goal is to foster clearer communication and greater confidence for both riders and drivers throughout their journey. 

Image of a rider's Uber app showing them turning on the self-identification feature                Image of a driver's Uber app showing that their rider is traveling with a service animal

Service animal handlers can follow these simple steps to use the feature:

    1. Tap Account > Settings
    2. Tap Accessibility and select Service animal 
    3. Tap Complete eligibility form 
    4. Complete the eligibility form
    5. Select I will ride with my service animal
    6. Choose whether you want drivers to be notified of this information. You can change this setting or opt-out of self-identification at any time. 

Uber’s service animal policy

Regardless of whether a service animal handler chooses to use self-ID, Uber’s Service Animal Policy and  Community Guidelines are clear: drivers are prohibited from refusing service to riders with service animals or discriminating against them due to their service animal. Any driver who violates this policy may permanently lose access to the platform.

If a rider opts into notifying drivers that they’re traveling with a service animal and a driver requests to cancel their trip at pickup, the driver will receive an in-app notification reminding them it is against the law to refuse to transport someone because of their service animal.

Image of a driver's Uber app showing a reminder that it is against the law to deny someone a trip because of a service animal

Proactive rider support

We are investing in new measures to help create a more seamless reporting process for riders with service animals. If a self-identified service animal handler experiences a driver cancellation at pickup, we understand that can be stressful. With this in mind, we will proactively send an in-app message to the rider immediately after the cancellation asking what happened so we can provide additional support.

Any rider with a service animal who prefers not to use the feature but needs support can reach out to us through the app or over the phone as always.

Partnering with the service animal community

Service animals like Sadie play a vital role in providing independence, safety, and companionship in people’s daily lives, and Uber is committed to working with the community to help service animal handlers travel more freely and with dignity.

“We appreciate Uber’s willingness to engage with our feedback and create a fully voluntary self-identification feature that will help identify drivers who deny service to blind people who use guide dogs,” said Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind. “We remain committed to collaboration that implements meaningful solutions that uphold the rights and dignity of all blind people.”

“We appreciate Uber’s launch of the voluntary service animal self-ID feature,” said Karen Leies, President and CEO of The Seeing Eye. “This feature is a positive step toward identifying drivers who deny people with service animals, and we hope it will not only help prevent rideshare refusals for guide dog handlers but also provide data that will aid Uber in addressing rideshare discrimination for our community.”

“While we understand there are many factors involved and this new policy for self-identification will take some time to evaluate, it is certainly a move in the right direction to ensure people who are blind or with low vision are not treated differently just because they have a service animal, and that they can access more effective resolutions if they experience discrimination,” said Scott Thornhill, Executive Director of the American Council of the Blind.

We are incredibly thankful to our partners in the service animal community for their valuable input and ongoing advocacy. With these updates, we’re proud to take another step forward in making transportation more accessible for service animal handlers everywhere.