A man who is legally registered blind was turned away from a taxi ride after the driver claimed to be 'allergic' to his guide dog.
Elliott Ainley, from Hull, hailed a taxi outside the city's Paragon Station to travel home with his guide dog, Legend, following bus disruptions - but was refused entry at the door.
The Hackney Carriage driver claimed he was 'allergic' to the service dog but was unable to provide an exemption certificate proving this, a legal requirement to deny guide dogs access, reports HullLive.
After Elliott tried to explain how his refusal was putting him in breach of both the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and the Equality Act 2010, the driver said he would take them - but only if the dog stays in the boot.
Elliott said: "After I told the driver he was breaking the law by refusing to take us, he changed his tune slightly and offered to carry us.
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"However, he wanted to place my guide dog in the boot with a back seat folded down so Legend could stick his head through into the passenger compartment, which is also illegal.
"The law states that assistance dogs must not be separated from their owner, so we couldn’t travel.
"Being stressed at this we walked to wait outside the Station Hotel for a few minutes to de-stress before we tried to get another taxi, which thankfully we managed to do and got home."
Elliott has since filed a complaint and hopes that others will not have to go through the same experience.
He added: "I have reported the incident to Licensing at Hull City Council and also Trans Pennine Express, as well as requesting any available CCTV footage, so the incident has started to be investigated.
"However, as guide dog refusals by taxis seem to be sadly on the increase, I feel the incident needs publicising to raise awareness as it is very much needed to help educate people and prevent this from happening again."
Former head of the Hull Hackney Carriage Association, Peter Nilsson said: "The rules are simple, Hackney Carriage drivers have to take guide dogs as it is part of the regulations, much like wheelchairs.
"You can get an exemption certificate, but the only way you can get one is by being allergic to dogs.
"If that exemption certificate is not in the window, then chances are that the driver just doesn't want a dog in his taxi.
"We are professional drivers doing a professional job, and to deny members of the public with disabilities access to our taxis is disgusting.
"In my opinion, if a driver denies a guide dog access when they are not exempt, they should have their licence removed and never be allowed to be a taxi driver again."
A spokesperson for Hull City Council said: "This case has been brought to our attention and we are investigating it.
"Whilst we obviously can’t comment on this specific case until the investigation has concluded, we can say that as a matter of policy unless they have an exemption certificate, most licensed drivers are expected to carry assistance dogs."
According to Guide Dogs, three-quarters of guide dog owners are illegally turned away - and this discrimination has been "leaving people with sight loss left out of life".
A Guide Dogs spokesperson told The Mirror: “All blind and partially sighted people deserve to be able to live their lives the way they want and feel confident, independent and supported in the world.
"It is completely unacceptable and illegal for a business or service to refuse entry to a customer with a guide dog, yet, sadly, it happens all too often."
Do you have a dog story to share? Email paige.freshwater@reachplc.com.
