A taxi driver told a blind woman she was not welcome in his cab – because she had a guide dog.
Disability campaigner Diane Marks said she felt “totally humiliated” by the refusal, which happened outside Brighton Station last week.
There's no description of the driver. Well, there wouldn't be,
she's blind!
As she waited for a cab home after a trip to London, a driver pulled up and wound down his window.
But when he saw her guide dog Thomas, he said he was allergic to dog hair and refused to carry the pair.
Ms Marks said: “I wanted to see his exemption certificate but he wouldn’t show it to me.
“He shut both doors, locked up his windows and locked himself in. Then he just drove off. Nobody standing next to me at the taxi rank said anything.
They might have made a few gestures that she couldn't see,
because she's blind.
...taxi bosses said it would be difficult to find the culprit because Ms Marks had not been able to record his registration number.
Ummm, wait a minute!
Andy Cheesman from the Brighton and Hove Taxi Forum said similar incidents were “extremely rare”.
He said: “It’s not nice when it happens and of course it’s horrible for the person involved.
“When this sort of thing happens we suggest that they take a registration number – but of course that’s very difficult if you are blind.
/facepalm
19 comments:
That must be the only station in the UK without CCTV coverage outside!
Hmmm ...
Taking the Leftist stance first - it's a good job that Ms Marks is a "disability campaigner" or this heinous breach of her human rights may have gone un-noticed and unremarked!!
Now back to the real world ...
But when he saw her guide dog Thomas, he said he was allergic to dog hair and refused to carry the pair
I don't recall any condition of being a Taxi driver that requires you to accept any fare?
Ms Marks said: “I wanted to see his exemption certificate but he wouldn’t show it to me
Wouldn't or couldn't? - perhaps his "exemption certificate" isn't in Braille?
I'm sure she does feel "totally humiliated" but couldn't she have saved all that pain by just calling for a Taxi - telling them, of course, that they must be able to accomodate her "special needs"
had this happen to me so many times i don't travel by taxi anymore. "im allergic". well, i'm allergic to bullshit from the ROP.
Even though the woman could have been registered blind, there is a possibility that she could see a certificate at close range with extreme reading glasses. If she had a neurolgical condition, this would have been acceptable. So for those of you thinking she had no sight to be registered blind, you need to do your homework.
The other thing I have decided is that if a cab driver decides to become a cab driver, then they must accomodate customers at all levels. This means disabled ones as much as they can. If he refused to take a guide dog and offered no help or alternative, then the arse should be fired. End of.
Feral.
For once Feral actually makes sense!
Even a broken clock is right twice a day Ivan.
Come on Julia-where's the post about the idiot Sergeant on twitter?
Jaded
Certain people from abroad are afraid of rabies and consider that they are exempt from a cab drivers' obligations.
My first thought was along with Lemmings , surely this is what CCTV is for .
But in this case I would imagine it would prove to be broken /blurry , not in the public interest to pursue.(just in case they find out who did it and it turns out to be more than likely a member of the ROP)
If we are talking about the Thatcher hating sergeant, I am in disbelief.
If you want to take the cock's twitter words as gospel, then feel free, but he shouldn't have had to lose his job. I didn't agree with much of what Thatcher did. Some things she was down right out of order. I admired her strength though.
One mans view is just that. Reprimand him and make sure he doesn't do it again. Other than that, let him be. There shouldn't be job losses over stupidity that are just disrespectful in a twitter manner. Twitter. Facebook. The root of all evil. Satan is waiting for all that use these things....
Feral.
CCTV enquiries? Where's the crime here?
Jaded
@Fidel Cuntstruck; it is absolutly a condition of a taxi drivers licence that he is REQUIRED to carry ANY assistance dog unless he carries with him the mentioned medical exemption certificate.
This lady was clearly aware of this so, despite her disability, I'm surprised that she was not able to take her complaint further at the time by, for example, enlisting the aid of other transport workers or, if at a rail staion, the British Transport Police.
This is a mightily clueless discussion.
The taxi driver had a disability!
You uncaring sods...
OT Julia, but it sounds like the soap dodgers have made a schoolboy error, planning a 'Maggie's Dead' party in Trafalgar Square slap bang in the middle of the route between Wembley Stadium and The Den, just at the time 30,000 Millwall fans make their way home:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/9990334/Football-fans-vow-to-confront-anti-Thatcher-demonstrators.html
****Orders freight container of popcorn****
Oh cut the lefitst crap. He's a muslim. End of!!!!!!
Sorry, but I think I'm with Fidel on this.
Aren't most taxi drivers 'independent' contractors? Self-employed? So they have the right to refuse anyone they wish.
Then there's the whole, would you be happy to plonk your nice 'going out trousers' on the same seat that fidos S***** A**** has been on (as it's guaranteed she would insist the dog stays with her and not, assuming it was a hatch-back, in the boot). Their own vehicles generally - you want fido in 'your' shiny saloon?
So, she wants/needs a cab? Do as I do, phone and ask for one which fulfills your needs - don't expect/require everyone to simply do as you want.
Or is this to be more of the removal of property rights like a certain B&B?
"That must be the only station in the UK without CCTV coverage outside!"
Quite! Or where no-one can be bothered to look for it...
"Wouldn't or couldn't? - perhaps his "exemption certificate" isn't in Braille?"
Heh!
"So for those of you thinking she had no sight to be registered blind, you need to do your homework."
I think we all knew that.
"Come on Julia-where's the post about the idiot Sergeant on twitter?"
What's to be said about him? He's tarnished the image of the police just that bit more.
They should be investigating his senior officer, because I'll lay a dollar to a doughnut he's done stuff like this before...
"(just in case they find out who did it and it turns out to be more than likely a member of the ROP)"
Spot on!
"...but he shouldn't have had to lose his job."
Two words: 'professional standards'. He's also too thick to be a cop, posting it under his REAL NAME!
"...it sounds like the soap dodgers have made a schoolboy error, planning a 'Maggie's Dead' party in Trafalgar Square slap bang in the middle of the route between Wembley Stadium and The Den, just at the time 30,000 Millwall fans make their way home"
Ah ha ha ha ha ha!
"Then there's the whole, would you be happy to plonk your nice 'going out trousers' on the same seat that fidos S***** A**** has been on..."
They mostly sit (not shit!) on the floor. And given the likely hygiene of the other customers...
CCTV enquiries? Where's the crime here?
Not sure exactly which branch of law it comes under, but taxis and private hire cars were brought within the ambit of the DDA and then the Equalities Act.
I think (must check) that it's a civil claim rather than a criminal one but the line went all blurry with the Equalities Act, which is why Hall and Preddy could go bothering the Cornwall police when they had a dust-up with a B&B owner over a double bed.
Anyway, the CCTV would be useful for establishing whether or not any such thing ever happened. Just sayin' - there have been similar cases concerning bus drivers which also turn out to be not wholly true.
"Would you be happy to plonk your nice 'going out trousers' on the same seat that fidos S***** A**** has been on"
I'd be happy to wager two things:
1) That the average guide dogs backside is less sh1tty that the average taxi customers, and
2) That if you analysed the average taxi back seat there would be considerably more human urine, faecal matter and other 'bodily secretions' found than anything of canine origin.
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