'She's my eyes. It's just not on': Vision-impaired passenger is left disgusted after taxi driver said she must put her guide dog in the BOOT
- Cindy Barrett tried to get a taxi in Townsville with her service dog Daisy
- The driver said she could only get in the cab if Daisy went in the boot
- Ms Barrett has been left outraged and humiliated by the ordeal
A vision impaired passenger is furious after a heartless taxi driver demanded she dump her guide dog in the boot or find another ride.
Cindy Barrett, who has only two per cent vision in her right eye, was attempting to get into the taxi at Townsville Hospital when she received the cruel ultimatum.
'It's like putting your child in your boot; you just wouldn't do it,' she told the Townsville Bulletin.
Cindy Barrett was leaving Townsville Hospital after visiting her aunt when she tried to get into a Checker Cabs taxi, as she often uses public transport
Ms Barrett and her dog Daisy were leaving the hospital in North Queensland after she visited her aunt.
The driver refused to let Ms Barrett into the vehicle unless Daisy went in the boot for the 20-minute trip.
Ms Barrett said the taxi company, Checkers Cabs, didn't get her initial complaint but was now investigating the incident.
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She said guide dogs were taught to sit between their owner's legs on public transport.
'It was very confronting. It's hard enough for us to get around as it is; our dogs are our sight and then to be discriminated against,' she told the paper.
'It's dangerous; the dog is not secured in the boot.'
The driver refused to let Ms Barrett into the vehicle unless Daisy went in the boot for the 20-minute trip
Ms Barrett told she had never been discriminated against before for having a guide dog
She told Channel 7: 'She's my eyes. It's just not on'.
Checker Cabs told 7 News it believes all people should have access to public transport.
'Checker Cabs investigates all complaints thoroughly and encourages any passenger who has experienced an incident in this regard to make contact with the administration section,' the statement read.
The company said it was a clear breach to refuse Ms Barrett and Daisy service and that drivers who fail to adhere to guidelines would be disciplined.
Ms Barrett told she had never been discriminated against before for having a guide dog.
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