A new study suggests that Uber and Lyft drivers discreetly discriminate against passengers based on their race and gender.
It was found that the cancellation of rides booked by African American passengers is common in Boston. On the other hand, female passengers have longer rides with higher rates.
Researcher Christopher Knittel said, "it's unclear why female passengers were kept in cars for a longer time, but some factors could be for social reasons or to change a higher fare."
Meanwhile, black passengers usually had a 30 percent longer waiting time before the arrival of UberX. Requests from Lyft male African American passengers were slower to receive acceptance compared to those from white males.
Research assistants used similar smartphones, data plans, and mobile carriers while authors conducted route control to guarantee that variances will not manifest in the result. The information that was gathered by participants include trip request, time of acceptance and schedule for pickup and drop off.
Unlike Lyft that shows the passengers' picture and name, Uber only displays the name following the acceptance of the request. There is a penalty for cancelled rides. Both Seattle and Boston mandates a maximum cancellation rate according to the area's average rate of cancelation.
Knittel said, "we went into this hoping that we wouldn't see anything, but we found pretty strong evidence of discrimination." The MIT professor added that this kind of discrimination also likely happens elsewhere.
The Director of Policy Communication of Lyft Adrian Durbin stressed the benefit of the study on "communities of color." He emphasized the company's zero tolerance to any form of discrimination stating that the company aims to provide and maintain an "inclusive and welcoming community."
Meanwhile, the head of Uber North American operations Rachel Holt said "discrimination has no place in society, and no place on Uber."
Racial discrimination in hotel, transportations, and other public accommodations is a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. However, Airbnb private rentals remain in a legal gray area.
The research conducted by instructors from Stanford University, University of Washington and Massachusetts Institute of Technology was published in October and first disclosed in Bloomberg. It studied the existing gender and racial discrimination experienced by Uber and Lyft passengers in almost 1,500 rides in Boston and Seattle.