Victoria Morris booked a car from Apollo Taxis to take her and her dog, Molly, from Burnley Manchester Road train station to her home on Wednesday (February 12).
Victoria said she filmed the process in case something like this happened. Under the Equality Act 2010, it is illegal for drivers to refuse passengers with assistance dogs unless they have a verified medical exemption.
She said that as a result of the driver speeding off, she was left “in a lot of pain and standing in the freezing cold.”
A spokesperson for Apollo Taxis said another car was sent within six minutes so Victoria could complete her journey, and will no longer use the driver in question as it has a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination.
Victoria, 33, who lives in Burnley, had been on the train to Accrington to visit a new house she was moving to, and she said she decided to get a taxi because she was tired and it was cold.
A video shared with the Lancashire Telegraph shows Victoria approaching the cab outside the station.
Straight away, the driver says Victoria should have explained when booking the taxi that she has an assistance dog.
The driver also said should have made this clear because they have special cars for dogs.
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Victoria then explained that because Molly is an assistance dog, she can go in any taxi and legally the driver has to complete the journey.
The driver then starts the engine and drives away.
Apollo Taxis said the driver, who was registered to Pendle Borough Council, was not directly employed by them but he has since been told he will not be working for them again.
“While the passenger was ultimately picked up and taken to their destination, the driver’s initial refusal was unacceptable and breached both company policy and the Equality Act 2010.
“We have a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination and are reinforcing training to ensure all drivers uphold our commitment to accessible, inclusive transport for all.”
