The U.S. Justice Department is taking ride-hailing app Uber to court, suing them over claims it has been overcharging disabled people

The Department claims Uber’s “wait time” fees are discriminating against disabled passengers who need more than two minutes to get into a car.

The DoJ says the ride service needs to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act known as ADA.

Uber has however responded, stating that wait time fees were not intended to apply to disabled riders and that it had been refunding the fees to those charged.

Kristen Clarke, assistance attorney general for the DoJ’s civil rights division said the lawsuit aimed to send a “powerful message that Uber cannot penalise passengers with disabilities simply because they need more time to get into a car”.

Clarke added that Uber and other ride hailing companies such as Lyft and Taxi services “must ensure equal access for all people, including those with disabilities,”

Uber disagrees that it violated the ADA

An Uber spokesperson stated that the company had been in talks with the Department fo Justice prior to the “surprising and disappointing” lawsuit.

The spokesperson stated that fees were “never intended for riders who are ready at their designated pickup location but need more time to get into the car”,

In the statement, Uber revealed it does have a policy of refunding wait time fees for disabled riders whenever they alerted the firm that they had been charged.

Uber began charging passengers for driver waiting times back in 2016.