Lyft, Uber wait times not statistically different among races, study says

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A new study found that African-Americans statistically don't face different wait times on Uber and Lyft than white, Asian and Hispanic riders.

The study, conducted by researchers at UCLA, found that African-Americans also have an equal chance of their rides being cancelled.

According to the study, Lyft drivers cancelled on black riders 7 percent of the time, compared with 5 percent of Asian and Hispanic riders and 3 percent of white riders.

Black riders saw their rides cancelled 6 percent of the time on Uber, which only provides drivers with a name and not a face once they accept a trip. The cancellation percentage dropped to 3 percent for Asian and Hispanic Uber riders, and 2 percent for white riders, according to the study.

Researchers, however, say when factors like time of day and margin of error are considered, the differences are not statistically significant.

In contrast, taxis cancelled rides for African-Americans 26 percent of the time, compared to 20 percent for Asian and Hispanic riders and 14 percent for white riders.

Lyft and Uber said they have been working to reduce instances of discrimination.

This story has been corrected from its original version.