Your guide dog can’t come in to my taxi... it’s against my faith
A BLIND student was left stranded by the roadside when a Muslim taxi driver refused to take his guide dog on religious grounds.
Charles Bloch, 22, said the cab driver would not take his fare when he noticed his assistance labrador Carlo.
Mr Bloch and his girlfriend Jessica Graham, 21 – who is also visually impaired – were so shocked that she began filming the exchange on her mobile phone.
The clip, now seen by hundreds of thousands, showed the pair trying to get in the cab before being told by driver Kassim Abandi Jamal that he would ‘not take the dog’ because of his religion.
He said: ‘I do not take the dog. It’s a choice for me. For me, it’s about my religion’.
Mr Bloch, a digital marketing student at De Montfort University in Leicester, reminded the driver that refusing his booking would be against the Disability Discrimination Act.
Undeterred, Mr Jamal called his bosses and he was overheard asking if another car could be sent. In the footage, Mr Bloch insisted he didn’t want another car but his plea was ignored.
The incident occurred on Friday as the couple tried to return to their home in Leicester city centre from nearby Melton.
They booked a cab through firm ADT Taxis – which describes itself as ‘Leicester’s number one student taxi company’.
Online critics bombarded the firm’s Facebook page and it later issued a full apology, saying freelance employee Mr Jamal would not be offered any further work.
Mr Bloch, who has glaucoma, said he and his girlfriend continually face challenges when ordering taxis with Carlo.
‘Every time we have to ring a cab our hearts sink because we wonder what reaction we will get,’ he told MailOnline.
‘We are both very angry and upset about this. It is not good enough in 2016.’ Some Muslims avoid dogs because of the belief that they are unclean or ‘impure’. Most make an exception for guide dogs, however.
Under the Disability Discrimination Act, it is illegal for a private hire vehicle to refuse to take a disabled person because they have an assistance dog. In a statement, ADT Taxis said: ‘We are deeply ashamed of the conduct of this Leicester City Council licensed driver, and he clearly broke the law after not accepting a booking on religious grounds.’
Speaking to the BBC, Mr Bloch added: ‘I have no hatred towards the driver and his religion... but the law is there to help people be more integrated.’
In April, he considered taking legal action against taxi firm Uber when a driver again refused to accept him as a passenger because of his guide dog.
Leicester City Council said it would be contacting Mr Bloch over the possibility of prosecuting the driver in the latest incident.