Student with guide dog denied access to a taxi in Oxford City Centre

  • Full video report by ITV Meridian's Mark McQuillan


A guide dog user from Oxford is calling for better awareness and education after they were denied access to a taxi.

Kelsey Trevitt said they had to book and wait for another cab late at night in the city centre because the first one wouldn't take them with the dog.

It appears to be part of a wider problem.

Latest figures show guide dogs are being refused entry to the likes of taxis, shops and restaurants around the country.

Kelsey's guide dog Lacey Credit: ITV News Meridian

Kelsey says their guide dog Lacey is crucial to their independence.

Helping them get around Oxford, meet friends and go to university lectures.

Speaking about their latest experience, they said: "They said they wouldn't accept a dog and that happens quite a lot so I explained that Lacey, my guide dog is an assistance dog and it's the law to accept guide dogs.

"But they continuously refused to accept Lacey and me and eventually left where I was waiting and so I was left stranded a little after midnight."

  • Kelsey Trevitt says it's common to be refused entry

According to the Guide Dogs charity, it is part of a wider issue.

81% of guide dog owners who responded to their survey said they'd been refused entry to a business of service

Of those, 73% said been refused access at least once over the past year

And 49% said they changed their plans because they were worried about being refused entry

The charity say these figures highlight the current problems and it is calling for more awareness, education and tighter legislation.

Clive Wood, Policy and Campaigns Manager at Guide Dogs said: "The whole point of having a guide dog is it gives you that confidence and independence to do things in the way you want to do.

"The legislation is there, the laws are there. It is illegal to refuse a guide, or other assistance, dog into any types of services or most types of services.

"We are just really concerned that lots of guide dog owners are still telling us, after many years, this is still a massive issue."

Oxford City Council say the Equality Act places a duty on taxi drivers to carry guide dogs.

For more information from the Guide Dogs charity about this issue, please visit their website.

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