A Brisbane man who has been refused service via a rideshare company three times in the past two months says he is "tired" of having to stand up for his "basic rights as a human being".
Henry Macphillamy has been blind since birth and relies on his guide dog Yasmin to help him maintain a busy and "very full life".
He also relies on public transport, Uber and taxis to get around.
The lawyer said the latest incident infuriated him so much that he decided to post about it on social media.
"It happens from time to time, but on this occasion I was booking an Uber from a busy shopping centre strip where I had a medical appointment," he said.
"The Uber came and the driver tried to explain the law to me. I happen to be a lawyer so that was probably not the best idea.
"Essentially he said, 'No dogs — don't care if it's a guide dog, no dogs.'"
Luckily, two strangers witnessed the incident and safely dropped Mr Macphillamy and his dog home, but he said the driver had left him "in a pretty vulnerable situation on the side of the street".
He said in most cases, the rideshare driver would cancel the job once they found out an animal would be travelling too, but the driver in question had not seen that information until too late.
"I advised him he was breaking the law and that I'd report him and I did," Mr Macphillamy said.
"My frustration is that this stuff keeps happening.
"It's my view that it's not being very heavily regulated and in the situation where rideshare is making itself an indispensable part of the economy, there doesn't seem to be a social licence for them and drivers are doing whatever they want."
Uber offered an apology and a $35 credit for future rides but Mr Macphillamy was left feeling that the refusal was the "final straw".
Uber to create 'specialised program'
An Uber spokesperson said the company acknowledged "service animal refusal is an issue across society and sadly rideshare isn't immune".
"Uber continues to develop strong policies to prevent this from happening, but for these policies to be effective and so we can continually improve them, it's important that riders report instances of service animal refusals to us," the spokesperson said.
"Our aim is always to educate driver-partners in relation to assistance animals when they sign up to the app, through specific education modules, and then on a regular, ongoing basis."
The spokesperson also said the company had developed a specialised program of support called the Service Assistance Program (SAP), which was "the result of direct engagement between Uber Australia and members of the blind and low vision community who wanted us to take a more proactive approach".
"The initiative invites riders with an assistance animal to voluntarily opt in to access features that are designed to improve their experience on the platform," they said.
"This program is a first for Uber, and it will evolve over time in line with feedback received from the blind and low vision community."
Transport department to investigate
Fines of up to $14,000 apply to those who refuse service to a person with a guide dog, according to Bond University law lecturer Ian Stevens.
He said the Guide, Hearing and Assistance Dogs Act 2009 was "very clear" in providing the same access rights to public places and public passenger vehicles.
The law also says dogs must be certified as "safe and effective in a public place, public passenger vehicle, or place of accommodation, and are able to be controlled by the handler/s in all situations".
Mr Macphillamy's experience also prompted an offer from Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey to investigate.
He said the situation was "just appalling".
"It sounds like Henry has made a complaint to Uber and I'd be very happy for my department to follow that up," he said.
"That behaviour is illegal, it impinges on human rights and the driver should know better than that."
