Watford driver prosecuted over guide dog refusal

A complaint was made about Raja Hussain, who is licensed by the council as a private hire driver, when he was accused of refusing to honour a booking made by a customer because they were accompanied by a guide dog.

The council licensing team investigated the allegation and decided to prosecute under the Equality Act 2010.

Hussain pleaded guilty at Stevenage Magistrates’ Court.
Councillor Glen Saffery, chair of the Licensing Committee, said: “Watford’s taxis and minicabs must be accessible and welcoming to our whole community.

“It has been a criminal offence to refuse to carry a guide dog for 25 years.

“All drivers in Watford undergo training on these issues and it is not acceptable for any driver to refuse unless they have an exemption certificate.

“This type of offence has a huge impact on a person’s confidence to travel and the council will robustly investigate all such complaints.”

The prosecution follows a similar case last year where another Watford licensed driver had his licence revoked following a refusal to carry a passenger accompanied by a guide dog.

Leigh Hutchings, chairman of Disability Watford, said: “Not enough assistance dog owners take drivers to court, which does make it seem this is only an occasional offence where that is so far from the truth. This happens to so many people each year locally and across the country and unfortunately most of these incidents are not reported.”