DUBLIN, Ireland: A taxi driver who refused a blind couple a ride at the taxi rank in Heuston Station in Dublin because they had a guide dog has been told to pay them 12,000 euros.
The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) decided that taxi driver Abiodun Dongo discriminated against Lisa O'Donovan and her partner, Anthony Clarke, because of their disability, in breach of the Equal Status Act 2000.
The couple, who are visually impaired, said they went to a taxi stand at Heuston Station in Dublin on December 27, 2024, after arriving by train from Cork.
They told the WRC that the driver reacted suddenly and refused to take their guide dog. They said he shouted at them in an aggressive and abusive way, then closed his window and drove off.
O'Donovan and Clarke said the incident made them feel very embarrassed and humiliated.
In her decision, WRC officer Valerie Murtagh said the couple were reliable witnesses and gave clear and convincing evidence.
She said both of them, especially O'Donovan, who also has a hearing impairment, had the right to reasonable support when using services. She also noted that their guide dog was clearly identified as a working dog.
Based on their evidence, the WRC ruled that the driver had discriminated against them by refusing them service, causing them distress and humiliation.
Murtagh ordered the driver to pay 6,000 euros each to O'Donovan and Clarke as compensation. She also told him to follow equality laws in the future.
Earlier this year, the Dublin District Court fined the 58-year-old driver 1,000 euros and ordered him to pay 750 euros in legal costs for the same incident.
The National Transport Authority prosecuted him for refusing to take the couple and their guide dog. The court heard that a railway official had noted the taxi's registration number.
Judge Anthony Halpin called the driver's behavior toward the couple "disappointing and completely unacceptable."
The court also heard that Dongo claimed he was allergic to dogs and drove away after picking up another passenger.
