Charity in call for zero tolerance over guide dogs in city taxis

COVENTRY City Council should have zero tolerance when it comes to taxi drivers breaking the law by not allowing guide dogs in their vehicles.

- By DAVID LAWRENCE News Reporter

That is the message from the charity Guide Dogs which supports those with a vision impairment.

In the UK, there are two million people with sight loss and this and the charity says that 9,410 of these live in Coventry. This figure is predicted to rise to 10,800 by 2032.

In response to a council consultation on planned changes to its licensing policy for taxis and private hire vehicles (PHV), the charity's regional policy and campaigns manager Jessica Luke put forward a number of recommendations after explaining that the service is essential for disabled people, particularly blind and partially sighted people who are unable to drive and often face barriers when using public transport.