A Lakeland woman is speaking out after she claims Lyft drivers have denied picking her up because of her service dog.
Four years ago, Shauna English lost her sight.
“I didn’t want to leave my home,” English told WFLA.
PJ, a trained service dog, has helped Shauna get her independence back by helping her navigate.
“The moment we get out our front door it’s like a freedom,” English said.
But recently, English said she’s experienced a pretty upsetting setback. She claims she has been denied rides from Lyft drivers twice since March because of PJ.
On one of the occasions, English said, “The driver pulled up to me and she said ‘Are you Shauna?’ I said yes, and she said ‘You’re going to have to find another ride’ and she just drove off on us.”
WFLA looked up Lyft’s policy and found that “drivers may not deny service or discriminate against passengers with service animals.”
Shauna said both times, the drivers left her stranded with PJ.
“What am I supposed to do? They abandoned me,” she said.
English tells WFLA that both times she complained she was given a five dollar credit.
English said she wants the company to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
“It isn’t about the money. These drivers need to be informed. They need to be educated,” English said.
WFLA reached out to Lyft via phone and email but did not receive a response as of this posting.
