Can taxi drivers legally refuse a guide dog? Expert explains... The law on guide dogs may surprise you After an Uber driver drove off and left a Liverpool woman and her guide dog stranded - we’ve taken a look at what the law says about where guide dogs are allowed.
For many blind people, having the support of an assistance dog gives them back their independance - but charity Guide Dogs UK says that three in every four guide dog owners say they have been refused access to taxis, hotels and even GP practices in the past twelve months.
Despite the efforts of assistance dog charities - owners of these animals are still frequently refused access, with taxi refusals the most common.
So far this year, Guide Dogs Liverpool has dealt with 31 access refusals from across Merseyside- with 18 of these from taxis or private hire vehicles.
What does the law say?Despite the frequency of access refusals - the law on where you can and can’t bring a guide dog is actually crystal clear.
Under the Equality Act, guide dog and other assistance dog owners should legally be allowed access to business and premises.
There is also a special section in the law for taxis and private hire vehicles - which means that the driver must carry the disabled person’s dog and allow it to remain with that person.
The law also bans anyone from charging extra for allowing the guide dog into their vehicle.
What is the punishment for breaking the law?Currently, if a taxi driver doesn’t follow these two rules they are breaking the law and can be fined up to £1000.
As well as financial fines, anyone with a private hire license that refuses a service animal also risks having the private hire license revoked.
Uber is particularly stringent about assistance dogs - and their guidelines state that any driver found to have refused a guide dog will permanently lose access to Uber, even if their council does not revoke their license.
What does Uber say about the rules?A spokesperson for Uber said: “Licensed private-hire drivers must carry service animals in their vehicle and we remind all drivers of this legal obligation before they start using the Uber app. Any driver who is found to have refused to take a service animal will permanently lose access to the Uber app and risks having their private hire licence taken away.”
What do Guide Dogs UK say about access?Lynette Proctor, engagement officer for Guide Dogs Liverpool Mobility team says that dealing with access refusals is a large portion of her job.
She said: “Guide Dogs UK is currently running a campaign so that assistance dog owners can access taxis, shops and restaurants without being refused entry, in line with their legal rights.
“Ignorance of the law seems to play a big part in business owners and staff turning away assistance dog owners. Of the reasons given for a refusal, the most commonly reported problem in the survey, was that the dog is unwelcome because food was being served (27 per cent), followed by dislike of dogs by them or their customers (25 per cent)."
“Since the law is very clear that neither of these are valid reasons for refusing service to an assistance dog owner, it suggests a lack of understanding of the special role and training of assistance dogs, and of the service provider’s duties under the law.
“A large portion of my work at Guide Dogs is raising awareness amongst the general public of businesses’ legal duty to make reasonable adjustments for assistance dog owners to stop these refusals from continuing.
“We will continue to campaign for the rights of blind and partially sighted people until they have the same freedom of movement as everyone else.”
source:
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liv ... e-12065857