Refusal to pick up Frank Salt and his guide dog costs taxi driver Ibrar Hussain over £600

Frank Salt and his guide dog Lewis

A refusal to pick up Castleton resident Frank Salt and his guide dog from Tesco in December 2016 has cost taxi driver Ibrar Hussain (07/03/1974) over £600.

Appearing at Manchester and Salford Magistrate’s Court on 4 July, Hussain, 43, pleaded guilty to the offence of refusal to carry an assistance dog. He received a conditional discharge of 12 months and was ordered to pay a £20 victim surcharge and £605.67 in costs.

Mr Salt, who is registered blind, said: “I informed the operator I had a guide dog and they said it wasn’t a problem. I was then refused carriage to my face and he picked up another customer and drove off. It was an alarming response.

“I face serious discrimination on a daily basis, despite it being illegal. It shouldn’t be happening in the 21st century.”

Under the Equality Act 2010, it is illegal for taxi and minicabs to refuse to carry an assistance dog unless they have a medical exemption certificate. Assistance dogs are defined as dogs trained to guide someone who is blind, deaf, epileptic or suffers a condition which affects mobility.

Rochdale Borough Council confirmed Hussain has been added to the schedule for its Licensing Panel to assess if he meets the requirement to hold a Private Hire licence with the Council. A date is yet to be confirmed.

Mr Salt’s experience doesn’t appear to be out of the ordinary.  According to official research by the Guide Dogs charity, an alarming 42% of assistance dog owners who took part in their survey were turned away by a taxi or minicab in 2016. 

The research also uncovered that 38% of guide dog and other assistance dog owners have been illegally asked to pay an extra fare for carrying their dog.