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DENVER, CO – The House today passed legislation, sponsored by Representatives Gretchen Rydin and Amy Paschal, to prevent discrimination by transportation network companies (TNCs) against riders with a disability. HB26-1043 would ensure that TNC drivers understand and follow federal anti-discrimination law.
“Many Coloradans with disabilities, especially those with service animals, in my community rely on rideshares to get around. This bill fights back against the discrimination they’ve been experiencing,” said Rep. Gretchen Rydin, D-Littleton. “Federal law prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities, and our bill ensures that rideshare drivers are educated on federal law and prohibits them from refusing to drive a customer with a disability. I’d like to thank the Colorado Center for the Blind for its commitment to this issue. No one should be refused service for their disability, and this bill protects riders, requires more TNC transparency and removes barriers to reporting driver violations.”
“We’ve heard first-hand accounts of rideshare drivers refusing to transport Coloradans with guide dogs and other mobility devices,” said Rep. Amy Paschal, D-Colorado Springs. “Our bill ensures that TNC drivers are informed of federal anti-discrimination law and makes it easier for riders with a disability to report a driver who violates the law. For Coloradans who are blind, rideshares are sometimes the only transportation option they can utilize, and this bill ensures that they are not discriminated against.”
HB26-1043 would help prevent rideshare discrimination against people with disabilities. Cancelling on customers who have guide dogs or use mobility devices solely because of their dog or mobility device violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). HB26-1043 would make it easier for riders to report violations while ensuring drivers are aware of their obligations under the law. This bill will also increase TNC transparency and penalize TNCs that violate federal law. The bill passed the House by a vote of 46-18.
The bill requires TNCs to provide education and training to their drivers about their legal requirement not to refuse to transport riders with service animals. The training must be completed within six months of the driver’s onboarding with the TNC, or six months after the bill goes into effect for current TNC drivers.
To remove barriers to reporting violations, TNCs must provide a mechanism to easily report a driver’s refusal to transport a disabled person directly on the TNCs’ platform. This legislation also boosts transparency by requiring TNCs to provide monthly, rather than annual, reporting of service denial violations by their drivers to the Public Utility Commission (PUC). Aggregated monthly reports would need to be made publicly available by the PUC with all personally identifiable information removed.
Additionally, TNCs that violate anti-discrimination law or the provisions of the bill could be fined up to $1,300 per violation. To encourage TNCs to actively prevent violations, the PUC may consider good faith efforts and the number of reported violations by TNC drivers when determining penalties. If drivers have a demonstrated need to refuse rides to particular riders, such as a severe dog allergy, they can be granted accommodations by the TNC under current disability law.
In the fall of 2025, the United States Justice Department filed a lawsuit against rideshare companies for discriminatory practices against riders with disabilities. In the lawsuit, the DOJ alleges that TNCs have failed to prevent drivers from cancelling rides when the rider has a mobility device or a guide dog.