Uber driver fined for refusing guide dog passenger

An Uber driver has been fined after he admitted refusing to accept a passenger with a guide dog.

Yasar Rehman Butt had been called to pick up a passenger at Smithy Carr Lane in Brighouse on 13 February this year, Bradford Magistrates Court heard.

But when he realised that his female passenger was visually impaired and used a guide dog he refused to take them.

The 48-year-old defendant, of Brantwood Oval in Bradford, said he had been "confused" by Uber's guide dog policy, but pleaded guilty to a single charge relating to the incident.

Prosecuting on behalf of Bradford Council, Waseem Raja showed the court a video which he said indicated an "argument" between the passenger and the driver after he said he could not take her.

Mr Raja said: "He has simply refused to transport her. Butt was told numerous times he legally can't refuse a person with a guide dog, and he just carries on refusing then drives away.

"He now accepts what he did was wrong. He says he is new as a taxi driver and didn't know what the requirements were."

Representing himself in court, Butt told magistrates, "I was confused", at the time of the offence.

He was fined £200 and ordered to pay the council's prosecution costs of £1,360, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

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