Birmingham taxi driver fined for guide dog refusal
A taxi driver has been fined £2,100 for refusing to carry a blind woman and her guide dog.
Shahzad Ahmad, from Hodge Hill in Birmingham, claimed his six-seater people carrier was not big enough to take Sue Smith's Labrador.
It is an offence for a taxi driver not to take a blind person and their guide dog unless they have a medical exemption certificate for an allergy.
The 32-year-old was convicted at Birmingham Magistrates Court.
Mr Ahmad was found guilty in his absence after denying the charge in October.
His contract with taxi firm T.C Cars was discontinued following the refusal in April.
"Some drivers may have a fear of dogs but it is a legal requirement," said Sue Bushell from the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.