Westcliff blind campaigner calls for training for taxi drivers

A blind woman wants taxi drivers to complete a passenger assistance training course after claiming she has been refused lifts because she has a guide dog.

Jill Allen-King, who is in her 80s and lives in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, said she had been denied a taxi on many occasions over the last 10 years. "There were certain drivers who wouldn't take my dog," she said.

Southend Labour councillors have joined her appeal to urge the council to make new taxi drivers complete the training, which includes assistance dogs and the Equality Act 2010.

A study for Guide Dogs charity, found 58% of guide dog owners had been refused access by taxi drivers in 2024 and 22% were charged extra for their guide dog.

Mrs Allen-King fully lost her sight at 24, and since then she has campaigned for better access rights for blind and partially sighted people.

She came up with the idea for textured pavements at road crossings and was given an OBE for services to disabled people.

The campaigner said waiting for a taxi with a guide dog could be "very depressing, especially in the winter in the freezing cold and the pouring rain".

"I used to have to wait a long while [for a taxi]," she said. "If they [the drivers] came without realising [I had a dog], they would drive off. I used to wait ages at Chalkwell Station.

"The person waiting with me to get the taxi could see the drivers coming along the road, then see my dog and wouldn't stop.

"I stopped going to one meeting in Whitechapel Road because I had to wait so long."

Her beloved guide dog Jagger in February, and she is on a waiting list for a replacement.

She added: "A lot of people just won't travel anymore because they can't get the assistance.

"They need assistance from a driver, and drivers aren't always prepared to do that."

A spokesperson for the National Private Hire & Taxi Association said drivers have been prosecuted in the past for refusing to take a guide dog when they are not exempt.

They added: "The only time a taxi or private hire driver can refuse a guide dog or disabled person is if they have a medical exemption issued by a doctor.

"They are duty-bound to carry all disabled passengers under the disabled persons act".

And they advised: "If they have booked through a private hire operator, they should report it to the operator, who should then send another vehicle."

Additional reporting from the Local Democracy Reporting Service.