Assistance dog owners barred from PHVs

It was revealed today that assistance dog owners are being prevented from accessing private hire vehicles in the Hanwell area of West London.

One woman who has an assistance dog and wishes to remain anonymous stated "When I pre-book a minicab, in some cases several hours before the cab is required, I get told that there are none in the area that will take myself and my dog,this usually happens 5 minutes before pick-up. She then stated "this isn't just one company, this is all of the companies in the area, as a result I am left stranded."

Refusing to take a person with an assistance dog is illegal, it is in direct contravention to The Equality Act 2010, and the DDA 1995 in Northern Ireland, places a duty on taxi and minicab (private hire) drivers to carry guide and other assistance dogs at no extra cost. The only exception is via a medical exemption

We have forwarded our information to the Greater London Authority for further investigation.