Taxi driver fined for guide dog snub

Leicester taxi driver Abandi Kassim has been fined £590 for refusing to carry a guide dog in July 2016, according to a report published by BBC News this week.

The report said Charles Bloch and his girlfriend Jessica Graham, who were both born with a visual impairment and are registered blind, were told they couldn’t be picked up because the assistance dog was against Kassim’s religion.

Kassim apologised to the couple through the court, claiming he was confused at the time.

Under the Equality Act 2010, it is illegal for a private hire vehicle to refuse to take a disabled person because they have an assistance dog, nor can they charge more.