A New York judge has ruled against disability advocates who sued to force Lyft to offer wheelchair-accessible vehicles beyond the few areas of the country where it already does.
Judge Philip Halpern in White Plains U.S. District Court ruled against Harriet Lowell and Westchester Disabled on the Move in their 2017 class-action lawsuit against the ride-hail company.
Halpern found that they had not proven that Lyft violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or the New York State Human Rights Law by limiting where they make wheelchair accessible vehicles, or WAVs, available to riders.
Lyft offers wheelchair service only where regulatory authorities require them to -- New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas and Portland, Oregon.
"All can agree that expanding transportation options for people with disabilities is of great importance," Halpern wrote in his decision. But he said that the plaintiffs had not shown that Lyft would be able to find independent contractors to provide wheelchair service outside densely populated urban areas.
Jeremiah Frei-Pearson, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs, said the case would be appealed.
"We are very grateful to the plaintiffs, the many organizations that supported the case, and the hundreds of people with disabilities who testified in support of their right to access transportation," Frei-Pearson said , according to local news site Lohud. "They deserved a better result."