Cabbie refused to carry blind woman

Licensed taxis are required by law to carry disabled passengers

A taxi driver is facing disciplinary action after he refused to pick up a blind woman and her guide dog in County Durham.

The cabbie said he did not want the dog on board, because it would take him up to 20 minutes to clear up afterwards.

The woman, who has not been named, did not complain, but two people who witnessed the incident at Durham railway station, wrote to licensing bosses.

Now taxi owner/driver William Jukes could lose his licence or even face criminal proceedings.

It is a criminal offence under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, for a licensed taxi to refuse to carry a disabled passenger with a guide dog.

A report to Durham city's licensing panel says the incident "reflects very poorly" on the taxi trade generally.

'Shocked and surprised'

Tyneside teacher Christopher Goulding, was one of two men who complained after the incident on 2 December.

He said: "We had all been waiting for a very long time and there did not seem to be many taxis around that day.

"When one eventually turned up, the man at the front of the queue said he was happy for the blind lady to take his place.

"At this the driver seemed to gesture at the woman and the dog and just pulled straight away, leaving the blind lady stranded.

"It shocked and surprised me at first and later felt annoyed and angry that such a thing could happen."

Mr Jukes is on holiday and was not available for comment.

But in a submission to Durham City Council he admits he was the driver and that he had picked up the woman and her guide dog, "thousands of times before".

He said he was very busy that morning, and, from past experience, he knew he would have to spend "15 to 20 minutes clearing out the car before taking another fare".

He said he therefore exercised his right to pull out of the rank.