Uber Eats Accused of Discrimination for Waiving Delivery Fees for Some Black-Owned Restaurants

Uber Eats has received accusations of discrimination after the company waived delivery fees for some Black-owned restaurants.

An Uber spokesperson told Fox Business that the company has received more than 8,500 demands for arbitration over the policy.

Uber Eats announced that it would be waiving delivery fees for independent Black-owned restaurants in June, Fox Business reported. This started as a way to support the Black community following the death of George Floyd.

Also, according to Uber Eats, it wanted to make supporting Black-owned businesses in the U.S. and Canada easier for customers. Only small to medium-sized restaurants can qualify.

However, other restaurant owners are unhappy as their customers still have to pay delivery fees.

TechCrunch also reported that in one of the claims, a customer alleges that Uber Eats violated the Unruh Civil Rights Act by “charging discriminatory delivery fees based on race (of the business owner).”

The claim seeks $12,000 and a permanent injunction. The injunction would prevent the company from continuing to offer free delivery from Black-owned restaurants.

“We’re proud to support black-owned businesses with this initiative, as we know they’ve disproportionately been impacted by the health crisis,” Uber spokesperson Meghan Casserly said in a statement to TechCrunch. “We heard loud and clear from consumers this was a feature they wanted—and we’ll continue to make it a priority,” she then added.

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