I don’t think it’s a good idea to be making concessions for personal religious dogmas – as where does that end? Can they refuse service to homosexuals? Women? A case could be made for both with reference to religious conviction. You either do the job you’re paid to do or look elsewhere for another. That’s a much more sensible (and fairer) approach to these issues.

Hi Stephen,
I was so distressed by this story I sent an email to the taxi company concerned. Here’s their reply:

“Thank you for your email, we deeply ashamed of the conduct of this Leicester City Council licensed driver, and he clearly broke the law, and has been dispensed with, as well as being reported to the council. The driver is now free to work for any firm he chooses. Our policy is clear, we do not discriminate, however in the taxi trade drivers are self employed and free to take work from any source, ie Uber / any other private hire firm. If we have drivers reported to us for breaking terms of their license, we cut them off from our bookings system and no longer use their service. The manager I believe is contacting the customer concerned, and will offer him a full apology and some free journeys.

Kind Regards
David Hunter”

Very pleased to have received that response. I guess that driver could well be out there on the roads, continuing his refusal to accept fares from dog-assisted blind people. But at least that incident has been noted and it might help to make this behaviour less acceptable.

fairlycirrus – I was seeking to contract the motivation of someone accustomed to a personal or cultural ( not necessarily meaning religious) exclusion of dogs or animals in general to an entirely mean-spirited cherry picking filtering of customers illustrated by my own anecdote.

I’ll add another, but from the other perspective – when I lived and worked in Leeds many years ago a taxi driver told me that drivers were in conflict with the local council as the drivers were reluctant to takes fares to one particular pert of town as once there and dropping the fare off they were too often subject to attack, robbery, physical assault and damage to their vehicle. The council insisted they couldn’t refuse to go to a specific part of town, the drivers were refusing. I don’t know how this was eventually resolved. In the same town when buying clothing for a my first adult skiing trip I couldn’t buy a ski mask as they were banned due to their popularity with local robbers.

Yes, services offered to the public should be offered without discrimination. I agree. My comment was too vague.

I don’t think employers should be bending to religious dogmas. The drivers should either do their job in full, or be made to look for a new one

Some include us infidels, right there betwen alcohol and vomit (good times!). Perhaps worth bearing in mind should either your carry out or corgie be refused entry to a taxi.

(Glad to see the GS blog making the NSS news feed btw.)