‘Do better’: Blind Aussie refused Uber ride
Disturbing footage posted to social media has shed light on the heartbreaking reality for blind people in Australia.
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In a clip posted to social media, Balinese-born Australian Kadek Artayana showed the “frustrating” reality that blind and disabled people face in Australia.
The two-minute footage shows Mr Artayana waiting for an Uber X with his guide dog, Livinia.
As a red Toyota Camry pulls up, the driver can be seen rolling down his window, immediately saying “Dogs are not allowed.”
“She’s a guide dog. It’s a service dog,” Mr Artayana responds.
“It’s not allowed,” the Uber driver responds.
“It's a guide dog. It’s the law mate,” Mr Artayana says.
A neighbour chimes in, telling the driver, “I think you have to take him.”
“You can do the pet,” the driver says, presumably referring to the ‘Uber Pet’ option which allows riders to book a pet-friendly driver. The option usually costs upwards of $10 more than an Uber X and is not required for assistance animals, as laid out in Uber’s policies.
“This is not a pet, this is a guide dog,” says Mr Artayana while he offers to provide his service animal ID card.
“I say no,” the driver bluntly replies.
“Well, the government says yes,” Mr Artayana says.
Towards the end of the clip, the Uber driver states he’s “not going to take (the ride)” as he rolls up his windows.
“I will be reporting you, my friend,” a fed-up Mr Artayana says.
The heartbreaking incident signals just another week for Mr Artayana as he recalls the increasing refusals of service dogs.
“Another week, another refusal. People like this don’t belong in our community when we’re trying to make it welcoming and inclusive. This is what blind people have to deal with every single day when we’re just trying to live our lives and go to work like everybody else,” he wrote in the caption of the clip.
The 34-year-old remedial massage therapist, Brazilian jiu-jitsu athlete, advocate and public speaker lost the sight in both of his eyes in two separate incidents when he was aged 10 and 20. He is now completely blind.
He has been living in Australia since he was 10 years old and lives alone with his guide dog and “best friend” Livinia, in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda.
In a heartfelt post to social media, Mr Artayana said that Livinia gave him back the freedom he thought was lost forever when he lost his sight.
“Together, we’ve done so much — fundraising, advocating for the blind community, travelling, getting lost in the wilderness, and even standing by my side at my Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitions.”
Mr Artayana, told news.com.au: “We live in Australia. This should not be happening.”
“It’s very frustrating when you want to be independent and you encounter these barriers.”
Speaking of Livinia, he said, “She’s my eyes, she takes me to training, work, everywhere. I need her.”
Mr Artayana wants people to know that the blind community is not looking for special treatment – just to be treated equally.
“Why should I pay double [for the Uber] to have an equal opportunity? We’re just like everyday people,” he says.
“Livinia is clean, she’s intelligent and incredibly well-trained.”
“Uber drivers are supposedly trained but they pretend they don’t know what’s going on,” he said.
He revealed that a worrying amount of ride-share drivers have started claiming they are allergic to dogs, so as to refuse Mr Artayana service. However, Uber’s Service Animal policy states, “A driver cannot lawfully deny service to riders with service animals because of allergies, religious objections, or a generalised fear of animals.”
Mr Artayana says that, like him, people come to Australia hoping to be “welcomed and included.”
He believes that with such a significant number of ride-share drivers being immigrants – who have shared his struggles – it is hard to understand why they would choose not to be inclusive.
“Uber expects it from the community but doesn’t do it back. They should understand what it means to be included,” he says.
He believes the government and public services such as ride-share apps have let blind communities down.
“There should be infringements. It’s the law.”
In Uber’s Assistance Animal Policy, they reveal that a “Driver-partner may be subject to a fine of up to $8,000, $1,650 and $3,000 for failing to accept a rider with an assistance animal.”
In 2021, the company launched its Service Assistance Program in Australia which allows riders with a service animal to register to provide them with “enhanced support, driver education, and proactive review of cancellations.”
On their website they state that none of the program features will impact wait times or reliability of the service, however, Mr Artayana says he experiences wait times of up to 30 minutes.
In response to Mr Artayana’s clip, an Uber spokesperson told news.com.au that they provide training for drivers upon signing up and ongoing education to reinforce these responsibilities.
“If a driver refuses service, they must pass a knowledge check with 100% success to regain access to the platform. A second refusal results in permanent loss of access to the Uber driver app.
“Uber’s stance is firm on assistance animals; driver partners on the platform must comply with relevant laws on the transportation of riders with disabilities, including providing service to those with assistance animals,” they said.
However, Mr Artayana says he has made dozens of reports and it “does nothing.”
He even revealed that he had to turn the comments off on his clip because of the amount of hate he was getting from ride-share drivers.
“They were telling me it’s ‘their car, their rules’ and that ‘I don’t look blind’,” he said.
Mr Artayana reveals he doesn’t want blind people to be put off the idea of having a service animal because of these encounters.
“I don’t want people to do nothing in life because of this stress,” he says.
“They need to be better, I’m not leaving it alone.”
Originally published as ‘Do better’: Blind Aussie refused Uber ride
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