Sean Dilley has had a taxi driver refuse to take his guide dog for the second time this year
Stevenage blind man ‘disgusted’ after taxi driver refuses his guide dog again
By Nick Gill
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
1:04 PM
A BLIND man has had a taxi driver refuse to take his guide dog for the second time this year.
Sean Dilley booked a cab through Stevenage Taxis on Monday evening to take him from Stevenage town centre to Great Ashby Veterinary Hospital but said when the driver arrived he would not take his assistance dog Chipp.
The 29-year-old Stevenage resident - who was born partially sighted and has been blind for 15 years - told the Comet that, after pointing out that it was against the law, the driver said he’d take Chipp but only if the dog was locked in the boot.
It is the second incident in five months after a driver from Gary’s Taxis in Letchworth GC refused to take Mr Dilley’s guide dog in January. Abdul Hasan was subsequently cautioned after a district council disciplinary hearing in March.
Speaking about the situation on Monday night, Mr Dilley, who works as a freelance political broadcaster, said: “We called the office on speaker phone and Stevenage Taxis told him he had to take the guide dog but the driver became rather loud and threatening. He objected to having a ‘dirty dog’ in his car.
“The office sent another car and apologised, telling me they would call the driver in. Before parting, the driver demanded money from me to clean hair from his car where we had initially sat in it.
“This is the latest disgusting and unacceptable refusal to carry my guide dog. They are vital mobility aides for the blind and the law recognises this and outlaws their refusal. Unfortunately the message isn’t getting through to taxi drivers, some of whom think the law doesn’t apply to them. I call on Stevenage Borough Council to prosecute and I assure the driver that if they don’t, I will take out a private prosecution.”
Tina Turnbull, manager at Stevenage Taxis, said: “We’re not making any comment because Mr Dilley has decided he’s going to prosecute as he said in his own words. It’s suffice to say Mr Dilley has been a long-standing account customer of ours.”
A spokesman from Stevenage Borough Council said: “Stevenage Borough Council has received a complaint of a refused taxi fare from Mr Dilley and we will undertake a full investigation.
“Under the terms of their licence, taxi drivers are obliged to carry assistance dogs unless they have been granted an exemption from doing so by the council. There are currently six licensed drivers out of 298 who have exemptions. These have been given on medical grounds only. Drivers with an exemption carry a certificate to indicate this.”
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6 comments
In response to Turbottle - I always inform taxi companies of my guide dog and this was no exception. It's deeply upsetting to be refused, or otherwise treated badly. Why on earth would raising the complaint suggest I was trying to "be a pain" ? The company defend their driver and have told reporters that the car had a hatch back rather than enclosed boot. I can't comment because I can't see, but I can assure you, the driver used the term "in the boot". Very sad that Stevenage taxis have been so rude to me. I can't recommend them now alas.
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Sean Dilley
Saturday, June 30, 2012
The company said the gentleman was a long standing account holder so one can only assume that they would have known about the dog. I really hope they won't let the taxi driver cite "cultural" reasons for refusing to carry the dog.
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DeeDaw
Friday, June 29, 2012
The company said the gentleman was a long standing account holder so one can only assume that they would have known about the dog. I really hope they won't let the taxi driver cite "cultural" reasons for refusing to carry the dog.
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DeeDaw
Friday, June 29, 2012
"It’s suffice to say Mr Dilley has been a long-standing account customer of ours" So, some how I think they know
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Andy Capp
Friday, June 29, 2012
Does this person tell the company when booking a cab that he has a dog ?, i have done this with a pet dog when using the same company and have never had a problem, seems this guy just trying to be a pain on purpose.
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turbotell
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Again? Time for taxi companies to remind their drivers of their duties under the Disability Discrimination Act perhaps, as they're leaving themselves open to potential prosecution. I'm curious as to whether the offer to carry the dog "in the boot" would meet the legal requirements under the DDA, though; it doesn't sound acceptable, but the DDA, to my knowledge, does not specifically require that the dog be carried in the passenger compartment of the vehicle. In the meantime, perhaps a pragmatic approach for Mr Dilley would be to mention upon booking the taxi that he'll have his dog with him; that would avoid a driver with an exemption certificate from being sent to him pointlessly, and the office may well inform the driver upon dispatch that they need to remember they have a legal duty to carry the dog.
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David Precious
Wednesday, June 27, 2012