If you want to learn more about your rights as the handler of a service animal, check out the episode called Rideshares and People with Disabilities.
Uber has announced a plan where handlers of service animals can include in the information given to drivers that they have a service animal. I don’t have a service animal now. If I did, there is no way I would let Uber tell drivers I have a service animal.
In my view, sharing that information with drivers will do next to nothing to help people with service animals get rides. If a driver has no interest in taking a service animal, even though they are required to do so, providing them the information ahead of time will make it easy for them to refuse the trip. Since way too many drivers want to refuse service animals, I strongly believe those who share the truth about their service animal will have a much harder time getting rides than they do now.
This is another example of a company that is unwilling to do the right thing (in this case punish drivers for discriminating and breaking the law), pretending to do something to improve things for those facing discrimination while making the discrimination worse.
Everyone will make their own choice. But my suggestion is that no one tell drivers they have a service animal. I can’t see any way this kind of disclosure will help those of us with disabilities.