Milton Keynes guide dog owner ‘infuriated’ by taxi ride refusals

A woman who has regularly been refused taxi rides when travelling with a guide dog says the experience is “infuriating and embarrassing”.

Hannah Burgess, 27, from Milton Keynes, recently posted a video online in which one driver can be heard refusing to take her dog Morris, although he later changed his mind.

The Equality Act 2010 states taxis must carry assistance dogs at no extra charge.

Ms Burgess said the car was booked with Skyline Taxis Milton Keynes, which has not responded to the BBC’s requests for comment.

Ms Burgess, who was born with albinism, describes her vision as “blurry and distorted” and believes that, aged 13, she was the youngest person in the UK to get a guide dog.

She has been travelling with Morris, a golden retriever, for just over a year.

In a video posted online, the private hire driver can be heard saying: “I’m sorry, I can’t pick the pet.”

A passer-by intervenes to tell the driver to take the dog, and later he does accept the fare and apologises.

Ms Burgess said she put a note in online bookings that she had a guide dog but was frequently refused, with some drivers seeing Morris and driving straight past.

“It’s exhausting, it’s infuriating, it’s embarrassing. It feels rubbish every time; it never gets easier,” she said.

“It’s just so upsetting, first of all that they think it’s OK to do that, but also that I’m having to deal with it so frequently.

“I shouldn’t have to argue or convince someone that I’m worth being treated the same as another customer just because I’ve got a guide dog.”

The only exception to the law requiring drivers to take assistance dogs is if they have a council exemption certificate due to a medical condition.

Drivers found to have broken the law can face a fine or losing their taxi licence.

Buckinghamshire Council licensed the taxi in the online video.

Ms Burgess said she had not made a complaint to it but intended to.

Mark Winn, the authority’s Conservative cabinet member for housing and regulatory services, said the council was “deeply concerned” to hear about any such incident and it took “such matters very seriously”.

He said all drivers attended mandatory training about their legal obligations, which must be refreshed at least every three years.

He urged anyone experiencing any issues to report them to the council’s taxi licensing service.

The charity Guide Dogs said a survey found 60% of owners had been refused a ride when trying to travel with their dog.

Clive Wood, its lead policy and campaigns manager, said a refusal could be “humiliating” and “really have an impact” on day-to-day life.

David Lawrie, director of the National Private Hire and Taxi Association, said the issue was “unfortunately common” and that “a lot of it is [drivers] just don’t like dogs and that is not acceptable, it’s illegal”.

He called on the government and councils to do more to educate drivers on the rules.

A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said: “Discrimination like this is completely unacceptable – councils should use their existing powers to ensure drivers and operators understand their legal duties.”