It seems at least one Essex cab driver is a bit behind the times when it comes to accessibility: Wayne Wilson ejected a visually impaired 64-year-old great-grandmother and her guide dog from his taxi during a downpour because he'd just cleaned the vehicle.
Janet Plechaty reported the cabbie's actions to Basildon Council, and a magistrate ordered Wilson to pay a fine of 175 British pounds.
This incident is the latest in a series of reports of access challenges for UK citizens who use guide dogs. A stir was caused in April when a man and his guide dog were barred from a train in Scotland because the conductor feared that the dog might have fleas. The same man, Mark McClenaghan, also made headlines in 2004 when a restaurant ejected him for bringing his guide dog along.
United Kingdom cab drivers in particular have been repeat offenders in this area. In October of 2006, a Muslim cabbie refused to allow a guide dog to travel in his taxi because he believed the dog was unclean. The incident set off a maelstrom of controversy over guide dogs, disability, and the influence of the Islam religion in the UK.
Discriminating against a person using a guide dog is illegal in England under the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act.
