MOBILITY MATTERS
THREE GLASGOW CABBIES AT SAME CITY RANK REFUSE BLIND WOMAN BECAUSE OF HER GUIDE DOG
A blind woman was left saddened after being refused by three Glasgow taxi drivers because of her guide dog. GlasgowLive reports that the shocking incident happened to Allana Grant at Glasgow Central station rank around midnight on a recent Saturday. The 33-year-old had been on a night out with partner Ian when they attempted to get a taxi home after being unable to book a cab using an app. After waiting an hour at the rank, Allana, Ian and guide dog Felix were knocked back ‘point-blank’ by three different drivers before a fourth finally accepted them. She told the Daily Record: “The queue was enormous as you can imagine for a Saturday night. The taxi marshal came
to get us and they took us to the front where they tried three cabs. “He asked if the first three drivers were alright to take the dog and we just got a straight-up no. “It was sad but it has happened before, you kind of become a bit resigned to it because you know the authorities won’t do anything about it. I don’t see that I am asking for anything special.” Allana said there should be “no reason” why the three - who are all believed to be Glasgow City Council licence hold- ers that operate independently - shouldn’t have accepted the fare. She added: “As far as I am concerned, it is discrimination founded on complete misperceptions. The dogs are highly trained and clean. There really is no
argument about the dogs making a mess or misbehaving.” Meanwhile the cabbie who accepted the fare, Stef Shaw, called for the three drivers in front of him to be stripped of their badges. He said: “The taxi drivers who refused this guide dog or those who have refused any guide dog should have their licences revoked immediately. “They obviously have no compassion or care for disabled people and are not the type we want to see in our trade.” On learning of the incident, a council spokesperson said: “This is a highly concerning incident. It is both a criminal offence and a breach of their licence for a taxi driver to refuse to take someone accompanied by a guide dog.”
BLIND MAN DENIED HULL TAXI RIDE AFTER DRIVER CLAIMED HE HAD ALLERGIES THEN WANTED TO PUT DOG IN BOOT
A partially sighted Hull man was denied a taxi ride in Hull after the driver claimed he had ‘allergies’, despite not holding an exemption certificate. According to HullLive, on June 13, Elliott Ainley and his guide dog ‘Leg- end’ hailed a taxi outside Hull Paragon Station in order to get a lift home after their usual bus service was disrupted. As Elliott prepared to enter the taxi, the driver refused him because of his guide dog, claiming he had ‘allergies’. When Elliott asked the driver to show his exemption certificate, he was unable to do so, putting him in breach of both the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and the Equality Act 2010. After an uncomfortable exchange, Elliott was still denied access and forced to wait for another taxi. Speaking to Hull Live, Elliott said: “After I told the driver he was breaking the law by refusing to take us, he changed his tune slightly and offered to carry us.
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However, he wanted to place Legend in the boot with a back seat folded down so he could stick his head through into the passenger compartment, which is also illegal. The law states that assis- tance dogs must not be separated from their owner, so we couldn’t travel. “Thankfully we managed to get another taxi and got home. “I have reported the incident to Licens- ing at Hull City Council and also Trans Pennine Express, as well as requesting any available CCTV footage, so the incident has started to be investigated. “However, as guide dog refusals by taxis seem to be sadly on the increase, I feel the incident needs publicising to raise awareness as it is very much needed to help educate people and prevent this from happening again.” Former head of the Hull Hackney Carriage Association, Peter Nilsson said: “The rules are simple, hackney carriage drivers have to take guide
dogs as it is part of the regulations, much like wheelchairs. “You can get an exemption certificate, but the only way you can get one is by being allergic to dogs. If that exemption certificate is not in the window, then chances are that the driver just doesn’t want a dog in his taxi. “We are professional drivers doing a professional job, and to deny members of the public with disabilities access to our taxis is disgusting. “In my opinion, if a driver denies a guide dog access when they are not exempt, they should have their licence removed and never be allowed to be a taxi driver again.” A council spokesperson said: “Whilst we can’t comment on this specific case until the investigation has concluded, we can say that as a matter of policy unless they have an exemption certifi- cate, most licensed drivers are expected to carry assistance dogs.”
AUGUST 2022
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