Taxi driver’s refusal to take guide dog was ‘a one-off’, says firm bossThe case of a taxi driver who refused to let a blind pensioner in his cab was an ‘unfortunate one-off’ incident, according to his boss.
Samim Yakubi is waiting on a review of his licence by Wolverhampton council to find out if he will keep his job.
The 40-year-old, a private hire driver for Wednesfield Radio Cars, refused to allow 71-year-old Rita Nicholls and her black Labrador retriever into his cab.
He was fined £80 and told to pay costs of £400 after pleading guilty to discrimination at Wolverhampton Magistrates’ Court last week.
Alan Jones, manager at Wednesfield Radio Cars, said Ms Nicholls still used the company.
He said: “The day it happened we called him to the office and gave him a warning.
“We clocked him off for the rest of the day.
“He is very upset and apologetic.”
He added: “It was an unfortunate one-off incident. We do not discriminate people with guide dogs.”
Wolverhampton council will review Yakubi’s private hire licence.
Options to the council include suspension or a permanent removal of the licence.
The taxi was pre-booked on October 4 last year and the company knew Ms Nicholls, who lives off Cannock Road, would be travelling with a guide dog. But the court last week heard that when Yakubi arrived to pick her up from Market Street.
But when he realised Ms Nicholls had a guide dog, he told her there had been a mistake.
He claimed he was there to collect someone else.
Ms Nicholls complained to the council.
Questioned later, Yakubi said he turned down the custom, because he feared the dog would urinate in the car and leave dog hair.
Magistrates fined Yakubi, of Hobgate Road, Heath Town, £80 and ordered him to pay costs of £400 and a victim surcharge of £30 after he pleaded guilty to discrimination.
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