A private hire driver has had his licence suspended for not allowing a blind person with a guide dog into his private hire vehicle – and South Cambridgeshire District Council is warning against others repeating his mistake.
Muhammad Ramiz, 39, of Melrose, Meldreth, had his private hire driver’s licence suspended for three months following an investigation into an incident in which he accepted a booking and confirmed he was on the way.
However, after the customer said that they were blind and had an assistance dog, Ramiz cancelled the journey.
The council received a formal complaint in May 2025 alleging the blind person had booked a vehicle with an operator that had been passed to and accepted by Ramiz. As the complainant had been subject to previous refusals and discrimination due to his guide dog, he communicated to Ramiz via the booking app to ask if he was on his way to the pick-up.
Ramiz confirmed that he was en-route, but when the complainant then messaged that he was blind and accompanied by his guide dog, shortly after, the booking was cancelled by Ramiz with no explanation given.
The court heard that when Ramiz was asked to give his account of the alleged incident as part of the investigation, he claimed that he had accepted the job by accident and that there was severe congestion on the A1. In order that the customer was not left waiting, he cancelled the job to allow another driver who was nearer, to pick it up.
Ramiz later contradicted this in a court statement claiming that it was localised traffic that was congested.
With the assistance of GPS provided by the operator it showed that there was no congestion at the time on the A505, A1 or any of the local roads.
With the evidence provided by the complainant, operator, and the driver response and considering the Equality Act 2010 making it a criminal offence to refuse an assistance animal into a private hire vehicle, the licence was revoked.
Ramiz appealed the decision which took place at Cambridge Magistrates’ Court on 6 May 2026.
The District Judge allowed the appeal and the revocation was lifted. However, this was replaced with a three-month suspension. The council was awarded £2,000 in costs, and the victim was awarded £100 in compensation.
Cllr Natalie Warren Green, Lead Cabinet Member for Licensing for South Cambridgeshire District Council, said: “If at any point Ramiz fails to comply with the court order his licence will be revoked. Licensed drivers should ensure that they are fully aware of their responsibilities and duties towards the public to ensure they do not discriminate against anyone; particularly those with disabilities. The council will not hesitate to pursue those licensed drivers who breach legislation, policy and conditions - and will take relevant enforcement action if needed.”
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