The Justice Department sued Lyft Inc. on November 9, saying the rideshare company discriminates against passengers with disabilities, including people who use service animals and stowable wheelchairs. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, seeks $53 million for individuals with disabilities who submitted complaints to Lyft or the Department.

The complaint alleges Lyft and its drivers routinely refuse service to riders with disabilities, charge cancellation fees to riders Lyft unlawfully turned away, and refuse to change policies when needed, including denying riders with mobility disabilities the option to sit in the front seat. The department wants a court order forcing Lyft to stop, to modify its policies to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and to train its staff and drivers. It also wants a civil penalty.

U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian for the Northern District of California compared the case to the department's lawsuit against Uber. Reuters reports that suit, filed last year, sought $125 million for riders who had complained.

Lyft disagrees with the allegations, Reuters reports. The company said its long-standing policies require drivers to accommodate riders who travel with service animals or use foldable mobility devices, and that drivers who break those rules face serious consequences, up to permanent deactivation. Lyft also said it cooperated with the department during its review.

The suit rests on Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which bars private transportation companies such as Lyft from discriminating based on disability, the Justice Department says. Under that law, a service animal is a dog trained to perform a task tied to a person's disability. The department's case page says the riders affected include blind people who travel with service animals. The Civil Rights Division's Disability Rights Section is handling the case, and the complaint is posted on the department's website.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Jesus A. Osete of the Civil Rights Division said people with disabilities should be able to rely on rideshare services free of discrimination, and that the department means to uphold the ADA's promise of equal access in every part of public life, including transportation. Missakian said the department takes the allegations seriously and will put in whatever resources are needed to make things right, as it is doing in the Uber case.

Reuters reports that Uber, when it was sued, said it disagreed with all of the allegations and was committed to expanding access and improving the experience of riders with disabilities. The department says the civil penalty it wants from Lyft is meant to vindicate the public's interest in ending disability discrimination, on top of the damages for individual riders.

The department calls Lyft an important transportation option for millions of people across the country.

The ADA requires Lyft to carry riders with service animals and to assist riders with stowable wheelchairs, the department says. Emotional support dogs do not count as service animals.

The Civil Rights Division is now pressing the same law against both major rideshare companies.