Blind man felt 'like a piece of scum' after being refused ride by taxi driver due to guide dog

It is a criminal offence for private hire drivers to refuse access to a guide dog and its owner under section 170 of the Equality Act.

This means that services such as Uber must make reasonable adjustments for disabled people with assistance dogs.

The 33-year-old from Harrow decided to film the incidents where he was turned away because of Ava and sent the footage to Transport for London (TfL).

He subsequently prosecuted the man who refused to pick him up, with the driver having to pay a total of £550 in both fines and damages.

“To be treated differently like this in public because of how I was born, makes me feel like a piece of scum”, he told Metro.

“I am aware, however, that I have a social responsibility for disabled people who cannot stand up for themselves, to take forward this fight on their behalf.

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Yesterday, a driver was suceeefully prosecuted for refusing to take me and my guide dog Ava on 18th May 2024.
He plead guilty and has 28 days to pay £550, which is £200 fine, £250 costs and £0 victim surcharge.
Thank you to @TfL @TfLTPH for their ongoing support with refusals.1/2 pic.twitter.com/4i72THDboP

— Stephen Anderson (@saj_anderson) September 12, 2024

“And this victory is not for me, because I don’t really get anything.

“There’s no real financial gain here. This victory is for them, and hopefully sends a message loud and clear to them that they will be supported and to drivers that these are the rules and that they will be followed up on.”

The most recent incident of refusal has gone viral on social media, garnering over three million views.

Anderson, who is a public servant, posted on X: “Yesterday, a driver was successfully prosecuted for refusing to take me and my guide dog Ava on 18th May 2024. He pleaded guilty and has 28 days to pay £550, which is a £200 fine, £250 costs and £0 victim surcharge. Thank you to @TfL @TfLTPH for their ongoing support with refusals.”

Outraged users expressed their anger with the snub.

One said: “Disgusting. Must say, I’d absolutely love that beautiful dog in my car , definitely plenty of humans I’d 100% refuse . But obviously guide dogs and their people, should never ever be refused. So sorry you had to go through this.”

Another thanked Anderson for shedding light on the struggles that many visually impaired people go through regularly: “Stephen, thank you for all you do. It’s helping countless other people with guide dogs, as you raise awareness and make it less likely others get declined a ride with their guide dog through fear of fine.”

Siwan Hayward, TfL's director of security, policing and enforcement, said: “Everyone has the right to travel around the capital without facing discrimination. It is wholly unacceptable for a private hire driver to refuse a passenger's fare because they were accompanied by an assistance dog and we always take tough action on this, including bringing prosecutions to court.”