Taxi Driver Online

Unclear whether this was HCDs refusing street hires, or PHDs, or both, but looks like the paper has asked private hire 'taxi' firms for comment.

No doubt religion might be a significant factor here, as indeed is explicitly stated at one point (as highlighted).

I'd guess also that the run would be on the, er, short side


Parent's disgust after girls 'refused taxis because of dog'

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/n ... taxis-dog/

A parent has said he is disgusted after claiming multiple taxi firms refused to take his daughter and their dog home, leaving them in town centre on a Saturday night, because of the pooch.

Posting in a local Facebook group, the dad explained his 14-year-old daughter, her friend, and his “very well behaved dog” were in Clitheroe town centre at around 8.30pm when they were struggling to find a driver to take them home.

In the post, which has since been removed, the dad wrote: “I am very disappointed in the morals of our taxi companies in Clitheroe.

“After finding out that no taxi would take them home they had to wait in Clitheroe for a friend to finish work, at going up for 10pm, to get home.

“Unfortunately, it is not safe for young girls to walk home in the dark and it was agreed they could get a taxi home from town, but not one would help! This is disgusting and disgraceful!”

The post received a lot of attention and sparked a debate with users flooding the comments with their opinions.

One woman echoed the parent’s concerns, going as far to brand taxi drivers as ‘dogists’ – implying they unfairly dislike the four legged friends.

She wrote: “It’s disgusting how they don’t take dogs. We have a Cavapoo and she’s so good.

"We struggle with most taxis. I have actually called them dogists.”

Another woman expressed her concern over two young teenage girls left ‘stranded’ in town at night, stating “they should have made an exception” in this case.

However, many people pointed out it isn’t the taxi firms’ responsibility.

One person said: “A sensible option would have been to check beforehand rather than blaming somebody else.

"What if a subsequent passenger is allergic to dogs then the driver loses out.”

One man, a former cabbie, commented: “I've been a taxi driver. No way would I take a dog in my cab, unless it was a guide dog, which I am legally obliged to, and that I know by definition has been professionally trained.”

Mohammad, the manager at Tiger Taxis and Eagle Taxis in Clitheroe, explained taxi drivers would always pick up a customer with a guide dog but any other situation is down to the individual.

He said: “Some drivers do take dogs but would charge an additional fee but it’s down to them.

"Some of our drivers are allergic or just don’t want a dog in their car.”

Similarly, a spokesperson for Station Cars in Clitheroe, said: “We do have a driver that takes dogs but there are some that don’t for loads of different reasons.

"Some drivers are allergic and some pray in their cars so it’s up to each driver to decide.”

No taxi, ride share, private hire, or ride hailing service is obliged to carry pet dogs for any reason, even in the case of a veterinary emergency.

However, all such services are obliged to carry assistance dogs like Guide Dogs.

Not an assistance dog so drivers have no obligation. I used to ask my drivers first and in many cases as long as it was a small dog that could sit on lap or in footwell they would carry it but if they turned up and it was an alsation or similar sized dog the answer was always NO.

Mind you I once took some regulars and their pet Alsation to the vets and it took over an hour to get all the dog hairs off (dam thing was moulting !) still have nightmares about the state of the seats 30 years later !

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

But the driver doesn't know that, and believe it or not punters have been known not to tell the truth.

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IDFIMH