Taxis discriminate against guide dogs, Alberta woman says
An Edmonton woman who says taxis often pass her by because she has a guide dog has asked Alberta's human rights commission to help fix the problem.
Diane Bergeron says that Edmonton's Co-op Taxi company is guilty of discrimination under the province's Human Rights Act because of its actions two and a half years ago.
Bergeron, her two children and her guide dog Gypsy had just finished grocery shopping on April 1, 2002. Bergeron says she called Co-op, the city's largest taxi company, three times. During the second call, she told them she had a dog. The dispatcher told her it would take about 15 minutes.
"I want to make sure I get one because I know that a lot of taxi drivers won't take my dog and I have to wait an hour and a half," said Bergeron.
Twenty minutes later they were still waiting, even though her children told her they could see Co-op taxis at a distant taxi stand.
Bergeron, 39, says one of the company's taxis did stop at the grocery store, apparently looking to pick up a fare, but pulled away as soon as the driver saw the dog.
The taxi company denies the charge, saying it hadn't yet dispatched a cab to pick up Bergeron and producing documents supporting that claim.
Co-op Taxi says it has no record of any of its drivers refusing to pick up a blind woman.
Under provincial rules, a taxi driver can refuse to pick up a guide dog if the driver has allergies and can produce documents to prove it.
Bryan Gutteridge, who is also blind, appeared before the rights commission to offer his support for Bergeron. He says the problem isn't limited to one company, or to Edmonton.
"A cab driver will pull up and that's the problem," said Gutteridge. "It's up to the cab driver â they'll pull away if they see the dog. It's frustrating when you're standing there waiting in the cold."
If found guilty, the company could be fined and ordered to change its business practices.