Uber Eats is being accused of discrimination after it cancelled the delivery fees for some Black-owned restaurants during the summer.
The company has received more than 8,500 demands for arbitration over the policy, an Uber spokesperson confirmed.
In June, Uber made the announcement that it would be waiving off the delivery fees for independent Black-owned restaurants as an incentive for customers to order more from those businesses.
The policy was started as a support for the Black community in the wake of the killing of George Floyd. After a month from when it was put in place, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi announced the policy would be extended through the rest of 2020.
However, other restaurant owners whose customers still have to pay delivery fees are not impressed the decision.
In a statement by Uber spokesperson, Meghan Casserly, she said the company intends to continue the policy.
“We’re proud to support Black-owned businesses with this initiative, as we know they’ve disproportionately been impacted by the health crisis,” Casserly said. “We heard loud and clear from consumers this was a feature they wanted—and we’ll continue to make it a priority.”
Meanwhile, Uber is also facing other legal cases.
Last month, a California appeals court gave a decision against Uber and Lyft, saying they will have to reclassify their drivers as employees in the state.
However, before that takes effect, Californians will be voting on Proposition 22, an Uber and Lyft-backed measure that will maintain gig workers as independent contractors.
