Taxi driver cautioned after refusing blind man’s guide dog

A TAXI driver who refused to take a blind man’s guide dog could have his licence revoked if he commits another offence.

Abdul Hasan, who works for Gary’s Taxis in Letchworth GC, has been given 10 penalty points on his taxi licence and a formal caution by North Herts District Council (NHDC) following a disciplinary hearing.

Mr Dilley, who lives in Stevenage, said he was told by Mr Hasan he would not take the dog because he was a Muslim and wouldn’t breathe in dog hairs.

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Apparently, Muslims consider dogs to be unclean, which is a bit rough for blind people with a guide dog.

My mom has a blind guide dog. How it works here is that you have to tell the taxi when you call them that you have a dog. Not all taxi take dogs here because of allergies for example. Also at the taxi stop they're not required to take it. Never seen a religious reason used in here thought.

If they can't deal with serving the general public, there are countless driving jobs that DO NOT deal with the public. Heck... I drove an 18 wheeler most of my professional life. Travel was nice...but the lack of human contact was priceless. If I didn't want it, I didn't have it that day for the most part. These guys can do the same...or work for a courier company or whatever.

They chose taxis...KNOWING that means serving the public. Not segments of it. The public. If they can't deal with the job, get out of it. Don't expect the job and the public to adapt.

A random religious belief that's not part of your core beliefs, especially when it's about the other person's livelihood, is not a valid excuse for refusing to do your job and take care of a paying customer. Especially when you don't even have to have direct contact.

what ever happened to the right to refuse anyone service for any reason? What if the guy said' im allergic to dogs'? was it just because he used a religious excuse?

Originally posted by Bixxi3
what ever happened to the right to refuse anyone service for any reason? What if the guy said' im allergic to dogs'? was it just because he used a religious excuse?

He contravened the terms of his taxi license.

Andy Godman, NHDC’s head of housing and public protection, said: “The council takes this issue very seriously and has thoroughly investigated all the legal and religious issues regarding Muslim drivers carrying assistance dogs.

We hope that the penalty awarded will send a clear message that NHDC does not tolerate breaches of our policy on this matter, however we are satisfied that the case hinged on a misunderstanding on the driver’s part rather than an explicit refusal to assist a disabled person.”

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