Taxi driver who refused to carry guide dog one of three suspended in Wiltshire
Three taxi drivers have had their licenses suspended in the last two weeks
Three Wiltshire taxi drivers have had their licenses suspended in the last two weeks, one of whom threatened a council officer.
Wiltshire Council’s taxi licensing team has recently suspended multiple of the county’s taxi drivers, after one was caught using a phone at the wheel, another threatened a council officer, and the last refused to take a guide dog.
The Equality Act 2010 states taxis must carry guide dogs and other assistance dogs.
Last year, Wiltshire Council changed the wording of its taxi guidelines to make it “absolutely clear” that it is illegal to refuse to do so, after a disabled resident in Chippenham was refused entry to taxis on two occasions because of his service dog.
Councillors were informed of the latest suspensions at the licensing committee meeting in Trowbridge County Hall yesterday (17 March).
They were also told that the taxi licensing team is dealing with “significant numbers of new driver applications”, with driver numbers having been “above 900 for consecutive months for the first time since April 2021”.
Nevertheless, they were informed that it was “unlikely” for numbers to ever return to pre-pandemic levels after the subsequent changes to high street footfall and the night-time economy.