Chrissy Thompson was refused a lift by an Uber driver who said her wheelchair wouldn't fit in his car. Credit:Justin McManus "I offered to show how it would fit, but he refused to even let me demonstrate and said he wouldn't pick me up because he could choose who he took in his vehicle," Ms Thompson said. "He said he didn't have to take people like me." Ms Thompson told the driver it was discriminatory for him to refuse to take her because she was a wheelchair user. He responded by raising his voice, she said. This prompted a nearby hotel doorman to ask him to lower it, and the driver walked away. Uber policy states that drivers are expected to accommodate riders using walkers, canes, folding wheelchairs or other assistive​ devices to the "maximum extent possible". The company also has a "zero tolerance" policy towards discrimination of any kind.

Ms Thompson wants Uber's complaint system to be more transparent. Credit:Justin McManus Ms Thompson was left upset, humiliated and hurt. "The hotel employee asked if I was OK as he recognised the Uber driver had acted in a disrespectful way," she said. This was compounded on Ms Thompson's trip home (by taxi), when she received a notification from her Uber app that the irate driver had lodged a complaint against her for violating Uber's "community standards". Ms Thompson and a friend submitted their own complaint against the driver through the Uber app. And her distress at the initial incident was made worse by how Uber responded to her complaint, she said. It took a week for Uber to call Ms Thompson; there is no way to ring the ride-sharing firm directly, users have to lodge a complaint through the app and wait for contact.

In this phone call Ms Thompson was assured staff would look into the matter and take it seriously, but after ending the call she got a notification through the app explaining they would not reveal the outcome of the investigation. "The only thing they could assure me of definitively was they would not 'pair' me with this driver in the future, which suggests to me there will be no real consequences," she said. "It offers no transparency and accountability, but a lot of lip service. It shuts the victim out of the complaints process." In contrast, if a taxi customer wants to make a taxi complaint, the Taxi Services Commission has a detailed complaints process. This can include an investigation, and disciplinary action. Complainants are informed of the outcome of their complaint. If customers are dissatisfied they can have the matter taken to the Victorian Ombudsman.

Ms Thompson is a public servant, has lectured in disability and is a member of the Enablers Victorian Public Service Network for People with Disabilities. "I don't want to just roll over and suck it up," she said. "There's this idea [with disability] that you should just accept whatever comes, [be] grateful whatever you get." Asked for comment, Uber said it had community guidelines in place for riders and drivers, "and will take appropriate action in response to feedback". "We've worked closely with the Australian Network on Disability to develop the Uber Assist product for those with different accessibility needs, and will continue working hard to grow the reliability and availability of the service in Melbourne," the company said.