2 April 2018

Please note: this news article is in our archive. Articles were correct at time of publication, but should not be relied on for accuracy after the passage of time.

Mid Sussex District Council has successfully prosecuted a private hire driver who denied a visually impaired customer access to his vehicle because they had a guide dog with them.

On 4 September 2017, Mid Sussex District Council received a complaint about Mr Muhammad Jashim Uddin of London Road, East Grinstead. Mr Uddin, who is licensed by the Council as a Private Hire driver, was accused of refusing to honour a booking made by a disabled customer because they were accompanied by a guide dog. The Mid Sussex District Council Licensing team investigated the allegation and decided to prosecute.

It is an offence under the Equality Act 2010 for a driver to refuse or decline to take a customer who is accompanied by an assistance dog.

Mr Uddin pleaded guilty at Crawley Magistrates Court on Wednesday 21 March 2018. The Magistrates fined Mr Uddin £162, plus a victim surcharge of £30 and required him to pay the District Council’s total court costs of £876.

“Mid Sussex District Council takes the Equality Act very seriously and I hope this prosecution sends a clear message to any rogue taxi drivers who think it’s acceptable to discrimate against disabled people,” said Councillor Norman Webster, Cabinet Member for Community.

“Assistance dogs play a vital role in helping visually impaired people and those with other disabilities to maintain their independence. They deserve to be treated properly – and that includes being able to travel with their owner in taxis. Quite simply it is unlawful for a driver to refuse to pick up a properly booked person with an assistance dog.”