Uber is introducing a new feature to better accommodate passengers with disabilities.

The ride-sharing service said this week that it is offering individuals traveling with service animals the option to self-identify in the app and automatically notify drivers at pickup.

“With this update, our goal is to foster clearer communication and greater confidence for both riders and drivers throughout their journey,” said Chris Yoon, product manager for equity at Uber, in a posting about the new option.

The move comes after riders have complained for years about Uber drivers refusing passengers with service animals.

With the new option, Uber said it is working to proactively address the issue. If a rider has self-identified as having a service animal and the driver cancels their trip at pickup, the driver will get a notification in the app reminding them that it is against the law to refuse someone because of a service animal.

Similarly, if a rider who has self-identified as having a service animal has their ride canceled by a driver at pickup, they will see a message asking what happened.

Whether or not a rider chooses to self-identify as having a service animal, Yoon notes that drivers are barred from refusing rides or discriminating against riders because of their service animal and drivers who violate the policy “may permanently lose access to the platform.”

Uber officials said they spent two years designing and building the new feature in collaboration with disability advocates and service animal handlers.

“We appreciate Uber’s launch of the voluntary service animal self-ID feature,” said Karen Leies, president and CEO of The Seeing Eye, which trains guide dogs for those who are blind. “This feature is a positive step toward identifying drivers who deny people with service animals, and we hope it will not only help prevent rideshare refusals for guide dog handlers but also provide data that will aid Uber in addressing rideshare discrimination for our community.”

Last fall, Uber sent all of its drivers an educational video about service animals and announced a pilot of the service animal self-identification option. At the same time, Uber rolled out options allowing riders who are deaf or hard of hearing as well as those who are blind or who have low vision to self-identify.