Taxi Driver Online

Blind man and his guide dog denied taxi ride in Hull after driver claimed he had allergies

https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/lo ... ed-7280769

The driver had no exemption certificate, meaning that denying the man's guide dog into his taxi was illegal

A partially sighted Hull man who is legally registered blind was denied a taxi ride in Hull after the driver claimed he had 'allergies', despite not holding an exemption certificate.

On Monday, June 13, Elliott Ainley and his guide dog 'Legend' hailed a hackney carriage outside of Hull Paragon Station in order to get a lift home after their usual bus service was disrupted. As Elliott prepared to enter the taxi, the driver refused him access because of his guide dog, claiming he had 'allergies'.

When Elliott asked the driver to show his exemption certificate, a legal requirement to deny guide dogs access, he was unable to do so, putting him in breach of both the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and the Equality Act 2010. After an uncomfortable exchange, Elliott and Legend were still denied access and forced to wait for another taxi.

In a time where rail strikes and changes to bus services have made public transport all the more unreliable, Elliott is aggrieved that the taxi driver in question was so unaccommodating of someone with a disability. He has since filed a complaint and hopes that others will not have to go through the same experience.

Speaking to Hull Live, Elliott said: "After I told the driver he was breaking the law by refusing to take us, he changed his tune slightly and offered to carry us. However, he wanted to place my guide dog in the boot with a back seat folded down so Legend could stick his head through into the passenger compartment, which is also illegal.

"The law states that assistance dogs must not be separated from their owner, so we couldn’t travel. Being stressed at this we walked to wait outside the Station Hotel for a few minutes to de-stress before we tried to get another taxi, which thankfully we managed to do and got home.

"I have reported the incident to Licensing at Hull City Council and also Trans Pennine Express, as well as requesting any available CCTV footage, so the incident has started to be investigated. However, as guide dog refusals by taxis seem to be sadly on the increase, I feel the incident needs publicising to raise awareness as it is very much needed to help educate people and prevent this from happening again."

Former head of the Hull Hackney Carriage Association, Peter Nilsson said: "The rules are simple, hackney carriage drivers have to take guide dogs as it is part of the regulations, much like wheelchairs. You can get an exemption certificate, but the only way you can get one is by being allergic to dogs.

"If that exemption certificate is not in the window, then chances are that the driver just doesn't want a dog in his taxi. We are professional drivers doing a professional job, and to deny members of the public with disabilities access to our taxis is disgusting.

"In my opinion, if a driver denies a guide dog access when they are not exempt, they should have their licence removed and never be allowed to be a taxi driver again."

A spokesperson for Hull City Council said: "This case has been brought to our attention and we are investigating it. Whilst we obviously can’t comment on this specific case until the investigation has concluded, we can say that as a matter of policy unless they have an exemption certificate, most licensed drivers are expected to carry assistance dogs."

Understating it to say it's a matter of *policy*, when it's maybe better described as a matter of *law*.

Also odd they say that *most* drivers who aren't exempt must carry assistance dogs. Surely that should say *all* drivers who aren't exempt?

But maybe the giveaway is that it's a spokesperson for the city council, rather than the licensing department, or whatever.

So it's probably a response from 'comms', or whatever, who probably don't know the precise rules, and just said something a bit vague for the press and public consumption

It depends on the type of vehicle if "in the boot" is a problem in MPV style vehicles the parcel shelf is normally removed so if the owner was in the back seat then he/she and the dog are not separated

I also don't see where the stress element comes in as the dog was unlikely to have been separated from their owner if the owner didn't get into the vehicle

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

I spoke to a senior local politician yesterday and he relayed a similar story about his wife who has an assisted dog.

Clearly, those drivers know the law, they just seem to weigh up if the punter is going to go through with a complaint.

IMO quite shameful.

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IDFIMH

The problem is that the law only states you must carry the assisted dog, it doesn't say where.

Clearly, you are not going to stick it on the roof, but I think it doesn't always have to be in the front footwell with the customer.

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IDFIMH