I recently visited a Guide Dogs event in Parliament to show his support for taxi and minicab drivers having disability equality training when receiving their licence.
At the event, guide dog owners told me how taxi and minicab drivers refused to carry them because they had their guide dog with them. They explained that they had missed important appointments due to the refusals and how it had left them anxious and reluctant to use taxis and minicabs again.
Although the Equality Act 2010 makes it illegal for a taxi or minicab driver to refuse to carry an assistance dog, Guide Dogs research found that 42% of people living with sight loss were turned away by a taxi or minicab in the last year because of their guide dog. The research also uncovered that 38% of assistance dog owners have illegally been asked to pay an extra fare for carrying their dog.
Guide Dogs are calling for disability equality training to be made a requirement for all taxi and minicab drivers to help them better understand the rights and needs of disabled people and how to welcome assistance dog owners.
It is very troubling to hear from so many people who are illegally turned away from taxis and minicabs because they travel with an assistance dog. It is clear that further work is needed to ensure that all taxi and minicab drivers are aware of the law.
I welcome that here in Rugby, the Borough Council have been proactive in engaging with local taxi and minicab providers on this issue. I have met on a number of occasions with local residents who use assistance dogs to better understand the challenges which they face and I hope that as a result of the hard work of charities such as Guide Dogs, everyone who wishes to get a taxi will be able to do so.
It is also clear that taxi manufacturers have a role to play in making sure their vehicles are accessible to those with assistance dogs and I recently had the opportunity to raise this matter with the London Taxi Company at their new factory in Ansty. It was very encouraging to learn that the needs of those with assistance dogs, as well as other disabilities, have been taken into consideration during the design of the next generation of black cabs.