2018-09-03
The complainant has anxiety and has an assistance animal. She alleged the driver of a bus operated by the respondent public transport provider did not allow her to enter the bus with her assistance dog, despite her showing him a card from the training organisation and the dog wearing a cape identifying it as an assistance animal.
On being advised of the complaint, the transport provider indicated a willingness to try to resolve the matter by conciliation.
The complaint was resolved with an agreement that the transport provider pay the complainant $2,000 and write to her apologising for the incident. The transport provider undertook to deliver training to staff regarding passengers with assistance animals, including the right of passengers to travel with their assistance animals and the documents that can be provided to identify an animal as an assistance animal. The transport provider agreed to place posters at staff depots regarding passengers with assistance animals and to advise staff that passengers with animals trained by the organisation that trained the complainant’s assistance dogs would be allowed to travel with their assistance animal.
Year
Discrimination type
Disability Discrimination Act
Grounds
Assistance animal
Disability
Unlawful to contravene Disability Standards
Areas
Goods, services and facilities
Apology
Compensation
Revised terms and conditions
Policy change/Change in practice
Anti-discrimination/EEO training introduced
Amount
$2,000