September 13, 2025
Tech News
The U.S. Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Uber, claiming that the ride-hailing service discriminates against individuals with disabilities. Allegations include refusal to serve riders with service animals or stowable wheelchairs and charging extra fees for special accommodations, violating the Americans with Disabilities Act.
In response to the lawsuit, Uber firmly disagrees with the allegations, emphasizing its commitment to accessibility and service. The company states that every driver is required to comply with the U.S. Service Animal Policy and claims to take decisive action against confirmed violations, including account deactivation.
This lawsuit is not Uber’s first encounter with legal issues related to discrimination. Previously, in 2021, the DOJ sued Uber for overcharging disabled passengers, leading to a settlement in 2022, which compensated over 65,000 affected users. Moreover, Uber has faced numerous personal lawsuits and public protests regarding accessibility.
Meanwhile, Baseus has launched a solar-powered dash cam, the PrimeTrip VD1 Pro, designed to monitor parked vehicles for up to two weeks. With both a rechargeable battery and a solar panel, it captures incidents when motion or impacts are detected, without draining the car’s battery, ensuring continuous monitoring.
The VD1 Pro records from two cameras, a 4K front camera and a 1080p rear camera, providing a comprehensive view of occurrences around the vehicle. It offers an LCD display for clip playback and can transfer data wirelessly to the Baseus mobile app, enhancing user convenience.
Although the dash cam requires installation involving a connection to the vehicle’s electrical system, it does not need to be hardwired. The device can capture up to 20 incidents and includes features like continuous loop recording, ensuring no critical event is missed.
Tech Explained
Americans with Disabilities Act – The ADA is a U.S. law prohibiting discrimination based on disability. It mandates equal access to services and requires reasonable modifications to practices to ensure that individuals with disabilities can fully utilize services, such as transportation.
Ride-hailing service – A ride-hailing service is a technology-based platform that connects passengers with drivers of vehicles for hire via mobile applications. This model brings together users and providers to facilitate easy and on-demand transportation.
Continuous loop recording – This feature in devices like dash cams allows for ongoing video recording, automatically overwriting the oldest files on storage when it reaches capacity. This ensures vital footage is always available without manual deletion.
Solar panel – A solar panel is a device that converts light energy into usable electricity. In the context of the dash cam, it helps extend the battery life by harnessing solar energy, enabling the camera to operate for longer periods when parked.
Wi-Fi – Wi-Fi is a technology that allows electronic devices to connect to a wireless local area network (WLAN). In the context of the dash cam, it enables the camera to communicate with mobile devices for data transfer and firmware updates without physical connections.
