'It's an awful feeling': Blind woman denied Uber ride twice due to her service dog
A blind woman is speaking out after she says she was denied an Uber ride twice because of her guide dog.
Veronika Kanya called to get an Uber ride in Winnipeg on Sunday. When it showed up, Kanya said the driver told her he wouldn’t drive her and her service dog.
Then, when a replacement Uber came, the same thing happened again.
“I love this guide,” Kanya said. “I love all my guide dogs and it's just painful. Very frustrating when I get denied a service because of him.”
After waiting half an hour outside of her home, a third Uber finally agreed to drive them.
Kanya has been blind for more than two decades and says over the years she has been denied rides because of her guides, but it has been happening less and less.
“Just of nowhere I get these two in a row,” she said. "It’s an awful feeling.”
She says the drivers told her it was against Uber’s policy to have dogs in the vehicle, but Uber says this is not the case.
“We are disappointed by Veronika’s experience, and we share in her frustration,” the company said in an email to CTV News.
Uber also says a special team is looking into what happened.
“It is a contravention of someone’s human rights to deny them access to services on the basis of their service animal,” Karen Sharma, the executive director of the Manitoba Human Rights Commission said.
She says common reasons for people denying service are that they have anxiety about dogs, or that they have allergies. Sharma says without medical documentation, it is illegal to deny the service.
The Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) says instances like Kanya’s often go unreported because people are typically in a rush and don't have the time to report it, or they did not get the driver’s information.
“Guide dogs belong everywhere,” CNIB Advocacy and Community Outreach Lead Viva Dabee said. “It is the law. Wherever a person working with a guide dog would have access to in a public space, they are allowed to go.”
Kanya wants others to be aware of what happened to her.
“I’m going to look at this as an opportunity for change. An opportunity for awareness and opportunity for education,” she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.
Houston braces for flooding to worsen in wake of storms
High waters flooded neighborhoods around Houston on Saturday following heavy rains that have already resulted in crews rescuing hundreds of people from homes, rooftops and roads engulfed in murky water.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
‘We made them safer and more fun’: Here’s what’s new about e-scooters
Electric scooters (e-scooters) have been gaining popularity in the capital and this season comes with some changes and updates.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
Canadian Auger-Aliassime reaches first Masters final in Madrid with another walkover
Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime has advanced to his first ATP Masters final, and he hasn't had to play all that much tennis to do it.