So far this decade, smartphone apps open doors for business and communication. But sometimes, they can open the door for racial discrimination and hatred. Airbnb wrestles with this. So are ride-hailing apps. Do ride-hailing apps enable discrimination?
According to university research (MIT, Stanford, Univ. of Washington), the answer is a disturbing yes. Research shows in Boston, Uber drivers cancel rides for men with Black sounding names. Black men are four times more likely to suffer this than any other race or gender. Research shows in Seattle, Black riders face longer wait times than White customers. That’s because it’s harder to find drivers willing to take Black passengers.
To their credit, Uber and Lyft do all they can to combat these trends. A Lyft spokesperson says Lyft will continue to provide affordable, comfortable rides for all. She makes it clear discrimination is not Lyft’s practice. Rachel Holt is Uber’s head of North American operations. She addressed the study. In an email, Holt stated discrimination has no place in Uber. Furthermore, Holt says this study was helpful in fighting discrimination. Also, researchers suggest ways to combat racism. They suggest names and photos not be identified. But on the flip side, some argue names and faces offer a friendlier experience. So what do we do?
First of all, don’t let cabbies off the hook either. Some are notorious for passing a potential black customer just to serve a white customer. As a man of color myself, I experience this sometimes. You see, we don’t have an app problem. We don’t have a cab problem. As a result, what we have a a problem with the human heart. Yes, Uber and Lyft needs to do all they can to fight discrimination, just like Airbnb needs to fight it. But it’s obvious this problem won’t end with laws and legislation. I urge all Uber and Lyft drivers and Airbnb hosts to think before you act. Think before you refuse service to anybody. Please think before you hate or discriminate against anyone. What message are you sending? Would you want that done to you?