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Study finds racial disparities in Seattle's Uber wait times

SEATTLE — Ridesharing services like Uber are the new way we get around.

But new research shows how long you wait for a ride could depend on your race.

"There is still discrimination happening," said Don MacKenzie, a University of Washington professor of transportation engineering.

MacKenzie's team sent black and white UW students onto Seattle streets to request an Uber or Lyft.

Black travelers had to wait 20 percent longer to get a trip accepted, and 30 percent longer for the car to show up.

In Boston, researchers sent a single student out with two Uber profiles, so they could compare the experiences of Aisha to Allison and Rasheed to Todd.

"When the name that they used was a stereotypically African-American name, they were much more likely to have the trip accepted and then canceled," MacKenzie said.

Nicole Riley has been a fan of Uber.

"I've been cheerleading for them, but my name is Nicole Riley. So my name might not be one that they automatically think is African-American," Riley said.

Former driver Yosef Tsehay has lots of complaints with Uber, but, he said, "I didn't see any discrimination."

Professor MacKenzie suggests ride hailing companies periodically audit their drivers' behavior and cancelations, and consider switching to a system where no names are used.

MacKenzie says there's no evidence the companies themselves discriminate.

"These are the actions of individual drivers using those platforms, and we have no reason to think it's every driver," MacKenzie said.

In a statement, Uber said the company is helping reduce transportation inequities, and says studies like this are "helpful in thinking about how it can do even more."

Lyft says it does not tolerate any form of discrimination.

African-American riders in Seattle had to wait as much as 35% longer for an Uber, according to a new study. Graham Johnson reports at kiro.tv/UberWait. What experiences have you had with ridesharing?

Posted by KIRO 7 News on Monday, October 31, 2016