Another Trafford prosecution and press release
And if only councillors were held to the same standard as those they preside over - would there be any left?
Taxi driver ordered to pay compensation after he refused to take a blind passenger and their guide dog
https://www.trafford.gov.uk/residents/n ... e-dog.aspx
A private hire driver was fined and told to provide compensation to a customer he refused to take because they had a guide dog.
Mr Mohamed Abid Hussain, 42, of Mersey Bank Avenue, Manchester pleaded guilty at Manchester Magistrates Court to failing to carry a guide dog, wear his private hire driver’s badge or return his badge after his licence was revoked.
Mr Hussain was working on Wednesday 18 February when he accepted a booking on the Uber app from Grafton Street to a train station in the city centre.
The customer, who is registered blind and uses a guide dog, had booked the vehicle so that she was able to catch a train home to London.
However, to her dismay, when Mr Hussain pulled up to collect her, he told her that she could not bring her ‘pet’ into the vehicle. She explained that her dog was a guide dog – and reported him to the Council when he refused her fare.
When Mr Hussain was questioned by Council officers, he claimed he had not realised that the dog was a guide dog, despite their high-vis harness.
At a Licensing Sub Committee hearing, Mr Hussain said he was sorry for what had happened and admitted that he had no special conditions or allergies that would prevent him from taking a guide dog.
Councillors agreed he had unlawfully discriminated against the customer and revoked his licence.
Mr Hussain was fined £100 and instructed to pay £100 in compensation to the victim.
Cllr Rose Thompson, Trafford Council’s Executive Member for Communities and Safety said:
“We thank this customer for bringing the matter to our attention. On receiving the complaint, we were appalled at the discrimination faced by her. We are pleased that action has now been taken. Taxi drivers in Trafford are expected to uphold proper standards and abide by the law.”
