Taxi Driver Online

Ipswich: Minicab driver fined by court for refusing to transport blind couple and their guide dogs


Minicab driver Metin Akin. He refused to take a blind couple because of their guide dogs and was taken to court by Ipswich Borough Council.

A minicab driver has been fined after pleading guilty to refusing to transport a blind couple and their two guide dogs – in one of the first prosecutions of its kind in the UK.

Metin Akin, of Coopers Close in Witnesham, was forced to pay £1,413 in fines and court fees at South East Suffolk Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.

Christopher Bing, representing Ipswich Borough Council, told the court on July 8 last year Martin Roberts had called to book a minicab with Ipswich Cabs 289 Ltd.

He and his partner Clare Burman, and their two guide dogs Vikki and Malone, requested to be taken from a relative’s address in Felixstowe Road, to their home in Bridgewater Road, Chantry.

The booking was accepted by the controller and given to Akin as the closest driver in the area.

After initially accepting the fare, the 32-year-old driver, refused after learning it would involve transporting the couple’s dogs.

Akin told the controller he didn’t want to carry the guide dogs because his new Volkswagen Passat saloon had leather seats. He suggested the journey required an estate car.

The operator told Akin he could not refuse the journey because of the guide dogs but he refused to change his mind.

The controller was concerned at delaying Mr Roberts’s journey and gave the job to another driver who accepted the fare in his saloon car.

The court heard, the Equality Act 2010, states licensed drivers have a statutory duty to transport guide dogs.

They can only refuse if they hold an exemption certificate on medical grounds.

Akin did not hold such a certificate. In August 2012 he applied for the documentation on the basis he was allergic to dogs but an allergy skin [edited by admin] test showed he was not allergic to dogs and his application was refused.

The court fined Akin £165 and ordered him to pay IBC’s costs of £1,233.50 as well as a £15 victim surcharge.

source: http://www.ipswichstar.co.uk/news/ipswi ... _1_1959413

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

why do these drivers always have to learn the hard way don't they read up about and learn the job before they start ? I wonder how many shifts he'll have to work to pay those costs !!

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

When are these thick [edited by admin] going to learn?

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http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

I wonder who snitched

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

http://ipswichcabs289.co.uk/Ipswich_Cab ... s_289.html

they did

aww bless, they think they're a taxi firm

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

This not like a hackney refusing a street / rank fare .But a cab company booking. Anyone can refuse any job a controler offers them for what ever reason. I think this is a case the cab company wanted to get rid of this driver.
I think I might have refused if i had a brand new car as well if this was done through a controller who had others to send.
A pub can refuse who they serve a Hotel can refuse a guest so why should a private hire driver not be able to refuse a job offer from a controler . The cab company excepted the job Not this driver.

Should have refused the job when allocated by the company, not refused the customers.

You cannot refuse a guide dog, unless you are allergic or something. The age of your car has bugger all to do with it.

If that bothers you, don't get a new motor.

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http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

He did refuse the job with the company. He never got sent to the job. He did, however accept the job from the controller until he was told about the dogs.

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Grandad,

Having a new cab is still no excuse.

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http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

If he had been a pseudo trade rep in Bolton he would have been found not guilty.

You can't refuse a guide dog job, unless you have the correct exemption certificate.

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IDFIMH

Well actually, you can. You just can't refuse on the grounds of the guide dog or the passenger's disability.
You can refuse for a good reason. "I've got a new car" won't cut it though.

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http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

If a controler gives you ANY job you can say no for what ever reason... The company have taken the job not any one driver.It is the company that have the responserbility to compleat the job as they excepted it as a driver the reasons to refuse are many, need a break , need a sh#t , car needs fuel , car running rough , need to go home. etc etc. This guy should not have been fined as he never agreed with the customer to take them , this was between him and his cab office. As the job was between the customer and the cab office .I cant understand how the Council got involved ?

Because he refused the guide dogs, after accepting the hire. This breached his statutory duty under the 2010 act.


Disabled people have the same rights as the rest of us, including the right to be refused for being pi$$ed, smelly, filthy, known trouble makers etc etc. They can't be refused for being blind or having a guide dog.
He cannot refuse a guide dog because he has a new cab, nor can he insist on it being carried in the back of an estate car.

This guy will be lucky to hold onto his badge and it serves him right. Fekking idiot.

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http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/