Shocking news. A new study finds that if you have a black-sounding name, you are more than twice as likely to have your Uber trip canceled than if you had a white-sounding name. The results of the study – explained in a recent Slate article – shows that despite algorithms, and a non-traditional business model, human bias still comes into play.
Uber and Lyft are the major players in the explosive ride sharing industry. Despite higher pay for drivers and a supposedly better customer experience, the same biases that impact customers of traditional cab/taxi drivers are impacting Uber and Lyft customers. The discrimination looks slightly different depending on the platform.
Uber drivers don’t see information about riders before accepting a ride, but do get the information once they accept, and can cancel before picking up the driver. Lyft drivers see names and photos before accepting, therefore can reject immediately. Black Uber customers likely see more cancellations. Black Lyft customers see longer acceptance times for rides.
I can’t say I’m surprised by these findings. Are you? Technology doesn’t eliminate bias or racism. Unless you remove humans from the equation there are always going to be biases.
