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Posted on the 1st July 2025 in PHTM News
BLIND MANCHESTER WOMAN FEELS UNWANTED AS PRIVATE HIRE DRIVERS REFUSE HER GUIDE DOG
A Didsbury woman who has been blind since birth says she's being made to feel like a "second-class citizen" due to a "minority" of private hire drivers who refuse to carry her guide dog, Brandy.
Jennie Harrison, 35, regularly faces last-second cancellations or outright refusals from drivers once they spot her guide dog, despite it being against the law.
"As soon as they see me standing there they cancel and drive off," Harrison told the Manchester Evening News. "When I get a refusal like it makes me unwanted, unwelcome, and like a second-class citizen."
Harrison primarily uses Uber and reports incidents to the company, but says a fragmented licensing system makes it difficult to resolve complaints.
Drivers can be registered with any authority across the country, each with different policies and enforcement levels. "To report someone, I have to chase a different local authority every time," she explained, leading to frustration and anxiety.
Just weeks ago, Harrison recounted an incident where a driver flatly refused to take her after seeing Brandy, stating: "No, no dogs." She also suspects many drivers cancel unseen after spotting her and Brandy from a distance.
"I want them to realise that they are just leaving me at the kerb, and that I have appointments to go to and I have a life."
This issue is not isolated. The UK charity Guide Dogs reports that 58% of guide dog owners have been turned away by a taxi or minicab driver, despite the clear legal obligation to carry service animals.
Guide Dogs advocates for national disability equality training for all taxi and minicab drivers as part of the licensing process.
An Uber spokesperson stated: "It is totally unacceptable for drivers to refuse to take a guide dog and we investigate every report.
"Any driver who is found to have refused to take a service animal will permanently lose access to the app." They encourage customers to report such incidents.
The current taxi licensing system has been criticised by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham as "demonstrably broken," with proposals in place to reform the service in the region.
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