Blind Woman Denied Uber Ride Because Of Guide Dog

A legally blind Australian singer was denied an Uber ride because of her guide dog. The incident took place in Adelaide on Sunday.

Rachael Leahcar, a former The Voice Australia finalist, was waiting to get picked up for a show; the Uber driver stopped on the other side of the road before refusing service.

“I opened the door and started taking Ella’s harness off and the driver said ‘no, I can’t take your dog.’ I tried to say it a few times in case he didn’t hear me, but he flat out refused,” the singer said, Yahoo 7reported.

Speaking to 9News.com, Leahcar said, "I burst into tears, we were going to miss our show. I was shocked that he flat out refused to take me and my guide dog, even though Uber has a strict policy that service dogs must be accepted.”

She also shared her ordeal on Twitter.

“Uber driver refused me service today coz of Ella. I explained she is a guide dog & it’s against the rules to decline. He still said no, too expensive to clean the car,” the singer tweeted.

Leahcar said the driver need to be educated about helping people with disabilities.

“It’s just human kindness. Ella is my eyes. I can’t get around without her and to refuse someone like me access to something that everyone has access to – it is about equality, human decency,” she said.

Leahcar booked another Uber, whose driver parked the car a street away. A passerby, however, helped her reach the car and she was driven to the show.

Leahcar wrote an email to Uber support stating that she was denied ride on two different occasions.

"After speaking with other legally blind Uber users who have guide dogs, it has occurred to me that this is not even close to being an isolated incident. This is the second time I, myself, have been refused service because of my guide dog," she wrote.

Uber issued a statement saying, “Uber has a zero-tolerance policy toward discrimination on our platform. Under Uber’s Assistance Animal Policy, driver-partners are advised of their legal obligation to transport passengers with assistance animals. As explained in Uber’s Community Guidelines, driver-partners who engage in discriminatory conduct can lose access to the Driver App. Our aim is to always educate driver-partners on their legal obligations to riders with assistance animals.”

It was not known if any action was taken against the driver.