Rideshare services Uber, Lyft and the city of Chicago have all been hit with a lawsuit from a former driver over city rules she claims violate her rights, Fox 32 Chicago reported.
Ceresa Cohran drove for both Uber and Lyft for five years before she claims she was removed from the platforms due to city rules. The rules allow companies to deactivate drivers without reason, proper evidence, or even an appeal process. Her attorney, Matthew Custardo, says city regulations and the movement of the companies left his client defenseless.
“Uber accused my client of spitting on a passenger,” Custardo said.
“I mean… there’s no evidence, and there’s no appeal process.”
Cohran said her case started in April 2024 when she was terminated over claims that she says are simply not true.
“That’s assault. I’ve never assaulted anyone ever, so it was crazy,” she said, according to Audacy. “My life being turned around, and they wouldn’t even really hear me out.”
Without proper investigation or due process, Cohran losing her sole income left her struggling to earn a living. “I just now found employment last month, almost lost my house,” Cohran said.
“I’m still, to this day, without a car, in a hole and trying to find a way to dig myself out and, basically, rebuild my life.”
Her case is just one of several implications affecting Chicago’s approximately 90,000 licensed rideshare drivers. Advocates and fellow rideshare drivers blame pending legislation for the severity of Cohran’s case. Some argue that if the Chicago City Council passed the Rideshare Living Wage and Safety Ordinance, Cohran’s situation may be different. The goal of ordinance, which has stalled since May 2023 and sponsored by Ald. Mike Rodriguez of the 22nd Ward, is to implement stricter protections for drivers.
During a rally in July 2024, participants highlighted that limited protections have resulted in drivers being victims of violence, with some even losing their lives.
Cohran’s lawsuit pushes Chicago to overturn its regulations and give drivers a chance to defend themselves. She hopes that such moves will lead to her being “reinstated” and “possibly, to be reimbursed on my livelihood.”
“Everything has changed for me now,” she said.
At the time of the rally, both Uber and Lyft defended their rules and city regulations that are on their side, saying they lose out on money when a driver’s account is deactivated. “Our business is literally connecting riders with drivers, which means we lose every time
we have to remove a driver’s access to our platform,” a statement from Uber read.“However, we can’t sacrifice safety or quality, and unfortunately, when a driver poses a serious threat to either, we have no choice but to deactivate them.”
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