Taxi driver who refused assistance dog loses licence
ReutersA taxi driver has been stripped of his licence after refusing to carry a disabled customer with an assistance dog.
Robert New, from Wirral, was also ordered to pay costs totalling £1,120, together with a victim surcharge of £48.
It is unlawful for a private hire driver to refuse a fare because a disabled passenger is joined by an assistance dog under the Equality Act 2010.
New was prosecuted by Wirral Council and entered a guilty plea in writing before a hearing at Wirral Magistrates Court on 17 September.
The council's licensing authority had already ruled that New was no longer a "fit and proper person" to hold a private hire driver's licence and revoked it before the court hearing.
Councillor Cherry Povall, chair of the Regulatory and General Purposes Committee, said: "We hope this prosecution sends a clear message that refusing to carry a passenger because they are accompanied by an assistance dog is unacceptable and will not be tolerated."
Wirral Council said it encouraged anyone who believes they have experienced discrimination by a licensed driver to report the matter so that it can be appropriately investigated.
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