The law is clear that taxi drivers must take disabled passengers and their assistance dogs. Only those with medical exemptions can decline a fare with an assistance dog and those who refuse without an exemption face severe sanctions — including losing their taxi badges.
Equality Act 2010
While taxi drivers are not obliged to allow pets inside their vehicles, Under the Equality Act 2010, it is illegal for a taxi driver to refuse assistance or guide dogs accompanying a disabled passenger.
Drivers who refuse a disabled person with a guide dog can be fined up to £1,000 and risk having their licence revoked for unlawful discrimination.
As with safeguarding and having the correct taxi insurance in place, observing the act forms a key part of a driver’s training and licensing.
Unfortunately, there have been several recent cases in which taxi and PHV drivers have refused to pick up passengers with assistance dogs — and paid the price.
Pets
The BBC reports that in November, two Uber drivers in Bradford were fined and stripped of their PHV badges for refusing to pick up a passenger with a guide dog.
In both cases brought by Bradford City Council, Bradford Magistrates Court was shown mobile phone footage of the drivers refusing to allow a woman and her dog into their vehicles before cancelling the jobs and driving off.
Both drivers pleaded guilty and were stripped of their PHV badges and ordered to pay more than £600 each.
The BBC reports that Waseem Raja, prosecuting on behalf of the council, said: “The footage shows the complainant constantly explain he can’t refuse to transport them. He kept remonstrating and kept saying she needed to book an Uber Pet. He simply drove away.”
In the second case, a video shown shows the driver telling the disabled passenger she would need to book an Uber Pet if she wanted her dog to be transported.
While firms such as Uber offer special services for pets, this does not apply to assistance dogs and their owners. The law is clear that apart from drivers with medical exemptions, it is an offence to refuse to take them or to charge them any more than the normal fare.
Risking livelihood
In Milton Keynes, a taxi driver was fined more than £1,000 for refusing to pick up a passenger with an assistance dog.
The Milton Keynes Citizen reports that the driver — who drove past the passenger and made no attempt to stop — was fined a total of £1,367 and their taxi badge is now being reviewed by West Northants Council.
And a partially sighted man in Swindon told the BBC that he is scared to book taxis after a recent experience with his guide dog.
Samuel Willder booked a taxi from Veezu, but said the driver initially refused to let him into the vehicle, before agreeing after being reminded of the law. But Mr Willder said the subsequent journey was unpleasant, and he was left feeling frightened at the roadside with oncoming traffic.
A Veezu spokesperson told the BBC it took the allegation “extremely seriously” and had “acted immediately by reminding the driver of his legal obligations”.
The Equality Act 2010 is designed to help people with disabilities live as independently as possible. Most taxi drivers go out of their way to help disabled passengers, whether they use wheelchairs, walking aids, or are partially sighted. But it rightly imposes severe penalties on the few who discriminate against them because of the impact their behaviour has.
