Deaf Brentwood woman 'embarrassed' after minicab driver refuses to take her hearing dogA deaf Brentwood woman was left 'upset and embarrassed' after a minicab driver refused to take her hearing dog in his vehicle.
Sophie Biebuyck was on her way to a wedding reception with her hearing dog Rusty when the driver of the cab refused to take her dog unless she paid an additional £45.
"Being denied access to the minicab on the day of my friend's wedding was extremely upsetting and embarrassing," Sophie said.
"My hearing dog Rusty is not just a loyal companion, he's my ears, alerting me to important sounds and sirens. Without Rusty by my side, I would not be as independent as I am today."
It is against the law for private hire drivers to refuse to carry a passenger travelling with an assistance dog and are unable to charge more money on top of their fare.
After looking into the case, Transport for London took the driver to the City of London Magistrates' Court and on Wednesday, April 19, the 65-year old driver, Ali Ates, was prosecuted.
Ates of Brooke Road, Clapton, was found guilty in his absence of refusing to carry a passenger who wished to be accompanied by an assistance dog.
He was fined £500 and ordered to pay £988 in costs.
In February 2016, TfL launched a campaign targeting taxi and private hire drivers explaining the law on passengers accompanied by assistance dogs.
Since they began prosecuting private hire drivers for not accepting assistance dogs in February 2015, 21 minicab drivers have been successfully prosecuted and fined a total of £7,055.
Helen Chapman, TfL's General Manager of Taxi and Private Hire, said: "We want to ensure that London's transport network is accessible to all.
"By law, passengers travelling with assistance dogs must be carried by both taxi and private hire vehicles – at no extra cost.
"We take a zero tolerance approach to drivers refusing to carry passengers accompanied by assistance dogs and we encourage customers to report any incidents to us, so we can investigate and take the appropriate regulatory action."
Hearing dogs like Rusty are specially trained to alert their owner of any important sounds like fire alarms and door bells.
There are nearly 1,000 specially trained hearing dogs across the country.
Angie Platten, Hearing Dog's Head of Partnerships, said: "Hearing dogs are specially selected and highly trained assistance dogs which allow deaf people greater independence, confidence and companionship.
"Many deaf people lack the confidence to go out and about and therefore once a hearing dog is partnered with a deaf person they enable them to do things they felt they couldn't.
"To be refused access to travel using a minicab can be a highly frustrating and distressing position for a deaf person. They often struggle with communication and can feel abandoned with no ability to contact the minicab provider to explain or rebook due to their inability to hear on the phone.
"Being refused access to travel in a minicab can knock the confidence of a deaf person meaning that in some cases, they can be fearful of using public transport and once again going out and about to work or engage in social activities.".
Sophie added: "I am delighted with the result and would like to thank both TfL and Hearing Dogs for supporting me and ensuring that those with hearing impairments, such as myself, can continue travel around London freely."
Read more at
http://www.essexlive.news/minicab-drive ... vSBil3r.99
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