Taxi driver fined for refusing to pick up blind couple and their dogs because he didn

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Refused: Cab driver Metin Akin (right) has been fined after refusing to pick up blind couple Martin Roberts and Clare Burman (left) from their home in Ipswich

Driver Metin Akin (right) refused to pick up Martin Roberts and Clare Burman (left) from their home in Ipswich, Suffolk, because he did not want their guide dogs in his car.

The couple complained and charges were brought against Akin, 32, under the Equality Act 2010. He was fined ?165 and ordered to pay ?1,233.50 costs.

A cab driver who refused to pick up a blind couple and their guide dogs has been fined in one of the first cases of its kind in the UK.

Martin Roberts and Clare Burman had booked a taxi to collect them from their home in Ipswich, Suffolk.

But when driver Metin Akin heard they had dogs he turned down the job, saying he did not want the animals on his car's leather seats.

Mr Roberts, who has been blind since birth, called the Ipswich Cabs 289 company to ask where his taxi was after it failed to turn up 15 minutes after the time he had booked.

The operator told him that a driver had refused to take the fare because he was worried about the couple's two labrador guide dogs damaging the black leather seats in his silver VW Passat.

Mr Roberts, 35, and 32-year-old Miss Burman, who has been registered blind since the age of 13, then had to wait a further 20 minutes for another taxi driver to pick them up and take them home, on July 8 last year.

The couple reached their destination with dogs Malone and Vikki but then complained to Ipswich Borough Council who brought charges against Akin under the 2010 Equality Act.

Sandy Martin, the Fairer Ipswich portfolio holder for Ipswich Borough Council, said: 'We will not tolerate any discriminatory behaviour by taxi drivers whether it is on the grounds of disability, sex, religion or ethnic origin.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2286553/Taxi-driver-fined-refusing-pick-blind-couple-dogs-didnt-want-leather-seats.html

[GastonJ]

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Sandy Martin, the Fairer Ipswich portfolio holder for Ipswich Borough Council, said: 'We will not tolerate any discriminatory behaviour by taxi drivers whether it is on the grounds of disability, sex, religion or ethnic origin.'
l[/CODE]

Are they muslim, bisexual, one legged, polish dogs? I fail to see how you can discriminate against a dog tbh. Now discriminating against lunatic councillers with nothing better to say or do should be legalised.

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Suppose you got a call to pick tom from a telephone box and you find this man all covered in his urine and all his cloths smell do you still have to pick him up from A to B?

Who would have been responsible if the dog?s urine on the car seats or dogs started barking while driving and had an accident?

If we do not have choices to make at any stage then I feel we are all forced to do some thing not good in our democratic way.

I have full support for the disable people but there are cabs out there to carry disable people, they should use them instead.

Tell me why our council is not responsible for those who do not pay the fares?

[Meat-Head]

Good nice story

Normal dawgs yeah smelly noisy critters waiting for a chance to kick a certain customers or slam door in its face, but guide dawgs have totally differant operating software
So no excuse. If was stuck in traffic for hours it might have creamed one out

[nara]

Those photos are the wrong way round.

(clue: read the line underneath them)

Who would have been responsible if the dog's urine on the car seats or dogs started barking while driving and had an accident?

Some research into the training of guide dogs would be useful at this point.

[manxspud]

With no disrespect for the blind couple ... Taxi drivers are self employed so should be able to decided what jobs they want to do ... or not to do same as any other self employed person.

[Snowy79]

Do Taxi drivers not have to be licenced by the council and part of that licencing not designate who is classed as a passenger ? I can understand refusing people on safety grounds but I think the Taxi driver was wrong in this case.

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Originally Posted by Meat Head
guide dawgs have totally differant operating software




They say animal is animal you could find out by putting your hands in the mouth when that dawgs is hungry.

Talking about software I wish I could programme my Mrs to do right for me she keep loosing that temper and she is human can I use dawgs operating software ?..

[DOUGALMCD]

I think you will find the driver was totally wrong to refuse the guide dogs as it would come under the disabilities act. A taxi driver can refuse a fare for a number of reasons ie holding the lampost up and covered in urine unruly behaviour etc etc If you don't want to pick up guide dogs because of allergies etc or do a wheelchair job etc you would need a medical form lodged with the council saying so. There is also a soiling charge for anyone messing the back of a taxi.

[bonus2010]

I once looked after a friend's dog while they were away on holiday, and decided to take the dog to the park by car... well, what a mess dog made o' the back seats of the car... dog hair everywhere. (dog was only in the car for 10 minutes) If I had been a self-employed tax driver, I would have needed to get the car cleaned because I know if I were a customer I wouldn't want my clothes all covered in dog hair through sitting on the seats.

I don't feel the taxi driver discriminated against the blind couple on account of their disability. The taxi driver discriminated against the dogs on account he didn't have a suitable vehicle to transport them.

[Meat-Head]

decided to take the dog to the park by car... well, what a mess dog made o' the back seats of the car... dog hair everywhere. (dog was only in the car for 10 minutes) .

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[Canker_Canison]

I once looked after a friend's dog while they were away on holiday, and decided to take the dog to the park by car... well, what a mess dog made o' the back seats of the car... dog hair everywhere. (dog was only in the car for 10 minutes) If I had been a self-employed tax driver, I would have needed to get the car cleaned because I know if I were a customer I wouldn't want my clothes all covered in dog hair through sitting on the seats.

All of my previous cars had standard seats. These got covered in mud & hair from the several dogs I've had since learning to drive.
But my current car has full leather seats. These are so much easier to keep clean when the dogs been rolling in mud. Where before it involved a vax, scrubbing brush & copious amounts of strong cleaners... now it takes 5 minutes & 4 baby wipes.

The basic truth is that guide dogs have the same access to public places as the general public. This includes buses, trains, restaurants, supermarkets, etc. The taxi driver wasn't worried about damaging his car, he just doesn't like dogs.