FOI Request - Penalties for Refusing Carriage of Assistance Dogs

Request 101003578838

Please provide your policy and/or guidance around your reporting and potential penalties for Taxi Drivers, private hire drivers and companies refusing carriage to disabled people because of an assistance dog being present.

Regarding assistance dogs, can you provide the following information for EACH the calendar years 2018-present broken down by month:

1.  Please provide the number of reports/complaints of people refused carriage because of an assistance dog being present in taxis or private hire vehicles? Please include alleged refusals, too.

2.  Please provide the number of taxi drivers and private hire drivers who have been issued valid medical exemptions demonstrating they’re not able to take assistance dogs in their taxis.

3.  Please provide as much detail as possible (excluding individual names, but including the taxi company names if possible) of actions you took as a result of the report/complaint including any penalties issued.

4.  Please provide numbers of taxi drivers who have lost their licence as a result of or in part as a result of complaints about refusing carriage for assistance dogs.

5.  Please provide information on any ‘mystery shopping’ you have done pertaining to obeyance with any policies you have in place regarding assistance dogs in vehicles. Please indicate for each year if no mystery shopping has taken place.

Response 20-06-2024

There is no official policy on the subject. We have previously provided taxi drivers and operators with information about carrying assistance dogs.

1. None
2. None
3. Not applicable
4. None
5. Not applicable