Licensing Unit

Neighbourhood Services

Room 1012 (Level 1)

Town Hall Extension

MANCHESTER M60 2LA

Dear Mr Heaton

Re: Freedom of Information Request

Thank you for your request for information, which was received by Manchester City Council on 23 June 2009 and has been considered under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).

There were a number of questions in your request and I shall address them in turn:

Question 1.

What arrangements you make to ensure that taxi drivers licensed by the council do not refuse to carry a passenger who has a registered assistance dog (you will I hope be aware that this extends substantially beyond Guide Dogs).

Response

Any person who makes an application to be a licensed driver with the City Council is required to attend a coaching session. Within this session all drivers view a `Go Skills `DVD on Disability Awareness. This DVD introduces prospective drivers to some of the issues relating to users of taxis who may have a disability. It also gives best practice guidance on how to approach and speak to passengers who have different kinds of disabilities.

A further part of the course details assistance dogs. Prospective drivers are advised as to the different types of assistance dogs informed that they cannot refuse to carry such dogs unless the driver is in receipt of an `exemption certificate'. Officers go into a great deal of depth in relation to this issue.

A hackney carriage byelaw exists which informs drivers of hackney carriage vehicles that they must not refuse to carry an assistance dog. A similar condition exists in relation to private hire drivers

Question 2.

How many instances you are aware of where there have been such refusals and the reasons why?

Response

The City Council does not hold a separate record regarding such instances. These

would normally come to the attention of the Licensing Unit by way of a complaint [see answer to question 3 below]

Question3.

How many complaints you have had about this and how you have dealt with them?

Response

I have reviewed our compliant records, which go back to 2005 and can relate the following:

The City Council received three complaints, the most recent being in 2006:

i) Refusal to convey passenger accompanied by a guide dog.

Outcome - Attended panel Driver licence revoked due to this and a number of other complaints against driver.

ii) Passenger with impaired vision made a complaint against the driver of a hackney carriage vehicle who refused to convey himself and his guide dog.

Outcome -As a result of the compliant the City Council prosecuted the driver for `Refusal to convey passengers with a guide dog'

Driver attended at the City Magistrates court to answer to the offence of refusal to carry passengers who were accompanied by a guide dog. He was found not guilty of an offence.

iii) Passenger made a compliant that driver of a hackney carriage vehicle refused to carry guide dog.

Outcome - Formal Caution issued to driver, Failure to carry Guide Dog - Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

Driver referred to panel - warning letter sent

Question 4

How your council meets its obligations in this respect under Disability Discrimination legislation, to ensure that people with a registered assistance dog are not refused by taxi drivers?

Response

The City Council has a number of ways in which it endeavours to ensure that drivers are compliant with this legislation. In addition to the information given to potential drivers at the coaching sessions a number of current drivers are attending college and obtaining an NVQ specifically designed for taxi [private hire and hackney carriage] drivers. One of the modules on this course deals with passengers who have disabilities, including those with assistance dogs. Whilst the City Council has not made this qualification compulsory it does support the work that college is doing. We are currently looking at ways in which we can recognise drivers who have gained this qualification by way of encouraging other drivers to take it up.

The Licensing Unit also facilitating a working party with a number of users of both hackney carriage and private hire vehicles that have various types of disabilities. The working party is still at an early stage but is committed to addressing a number of issues, including users of vehicles who are accompanied by an assistant dog. To give you an example of the type of work that is done in the working party we recently spent an afternoon ascertaining what types of wheelchair fit into different types of hackney carriage vehicle and at the same time advising some of our working partners on the different facilities in these vehicles, such as swivel chairs and additional steps.

I hope the information I have been able to provide is useful to you. However, if you are not satisfied with this response you may ask for an internal review. Should you wish to complain you should contact Lynn Evans, Information Compliance Officer, ([Manchester City Council request email]), in the first instance. If you require more information about the Council's access to information complaints procedure this can be downloaded from:

http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?categoryID=200031&documentID=1322&pageNumber=3

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision.

The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

Information Commissioner's Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

Yours sincerely

Jenette Hicks

Jenette Hicks

Licensing Unit Manager

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