An Uber driver in South Florida was slapped with a $250 ticket because she couldn’t speak English, breaking a year-old county ordinance requiring drivers to do so.
Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida, issued a memorandum back in May 2016 requiring ride-sharing drivers to be “able to communicate in the English language.”
Uber driver Carmen Echevarria was ticketed after it became clear to a Miami-Dade Police officer that she wasn’t able to speak proper English.
“I felt discriminated against,” Echevarria told the radio station Telemundo 51. “The inspector who also confronted me and told me in order to be an Uber driver I need it to speak English,” she added.
Uber spokesman Javi Correoso hit back, telling NBC 6 that the ride-sharing behemoth is “proud of the diversity of driver partners in the South Florida market.”
The English language requirement for drivers in Miami is not currently listed on Uber’s website. Correoso said the law for Miami-Dade County is “very vague and difficult to enforce.”
He added that the law is not on Uber’s website because drivers are required to follow all laws when they sign up to drive for Uber.
It is not immediately clear whether Uber will pay for Echevarria’s fine or whether she will continue to be affiliated with Uber.
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