Disabled get boost in quest for cabs
By Schuyler Kropf
The Post and Courier
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Dolly and Glenn Davis, a blind married couple who rely on their seeing-eye dogs, got fed up with getting stood up by North Charleston taxicabs.
More than once, the Davises and their service dogs found themselves stranded or ignored by taxi drivers who didn't want to let the couple's dogs, Bailey and Morgan, inside their cabs, even on cold or rainy days.
"People were trying to take our eyes away from us," Glenn Davis said. "And we aren't going to stand for it."
Neither is the city, and now North Charleston cabbies are taking notice.
In response to complaints raised by the Davises and others, city officials last week ran an undercover sting looking for taxi drivers who overcharged or ignored passengers with disabilities.
In the biggest infraction, a driver was cited for charging extra to allow North Charleston's undercover service dog in his vehicle. He could face a total of $1,000 in fines.
The sting was so successful that officials said they will run it again, which is especially good news for the dog used by North Charleston as a decoy service animal.
Until last week, Cecelia, a 2-year-old German shepherd, faced being euthanized for a bad case of heart worms. But since Cecelia showed the temperament and skills needed to be a pretend guide dog, she's since been given a medical reprieve by the Charleston Animal Society.
"The dog showed some real valor," said Jim Bush, the society's executive director.
For the sting, police and taxi enforcement officials used various disguises allowing them to pose as members of the handicapped community. Along with Cecelia, who was fitted with a leather harness, officers acted as people confined to a wheelchair or needing a cane to navigate the streets.
"We ran several operations simultaneously," said Ed Ott, North Charleston's taxi inspector.
North Charleston already has taken steps to enforce cleaner cabs and safer drivers in the city, including by denying permits to cabbies with serious criminal records.
In most cases Friday, the cabs that stopped did pick up the undercover agents and charged the correct amount, Ott said. The driver who was cited allegedly charged $10 for the guide dog to ride along, when the fare should have been no more than $6. The driver also was ticketed for not displaying an accurate fare.
Various state and federal laws protect the rights of the handicapped to bring service dogs almost anywhere. Under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, privately owned businesses that serve the public, including restaurants, hotels and taxicabs, are prohibited from discriminating against any individual with a disability.
That means they can bring service animals into any area where customers generally are permitted.
Glenn Davis said he appreciates the goals behind the sting and wants to see the operation continue, particularly to make new cab drivers aware of the requirements and to keep drivers who already are on the road honest.
"Hopefully, it enforces that these cabs don't have a right to deny us access," he said. "If there's one doing it, you know there's others."
> So we tell them and they're like, okay bring him <to waiting area> So I go with our boy and sit quietly with him, after getting him situated in Down on floor. We have car-riding harnesses <canine seatbelts> for all the dogs because the crates only fit in one of the vehicles and driving around w/loose dog in car is not safe for people or dog>. The car-riding harness and the working harnesses used for service dogs can look similar enough to people who are not familiar - they just see "harness" and think "guide dog" I'm looking at magazines and he's laying quietly as people are walking around him and stepping over him to get at magazines, coffee, etc. This was when I was hearing more, and I heard someone say to "watch the blind lady". And if I moved around, like to use bathroom or re-position him or when we left, people are stepping out of the way...
