A blind woman has been refused entry on a Melbourne bus with her guide dog after the driver claimed no dogs were allowed.
The altercation sparked an hour-long stand-off between the vision impaired passenger and the driver in Rosanna this morning, when he refused to let her aboard the bus.
Louise Pearson has travelled on the same 501 bus from Finlayson Street every morning to work and never experienced any issues.
“The bus driver pulled up in front of me and he said ‘no dogs on this bus’,” Ms Pearson told 3AW’s Ross and John.
“I have a golden Labrador guide dog called Arthur, and I stepped onto the bus and said ‘this is a guide dog’.”
Guide dogs are permitted to travel on all forms of public transport under Victorian law.
Another passenger told the driver the woman and her guide dog were regular travellers on the route, but he would not give in.
9News understands English may have been the bus driver’s second language, prompting a communication barrier.
He called Greensborough police, who offered to drive the woman to work, but she refused.
“That’s not how you win a fight,” she said.
The driver eventually allowed the pair to board the bus after an hour-long debate.
Ms Pearson said it was ridiculous her guide dog’s presence was even questioned.
“I can’t believe in this day and age that we have this sort of nonsense going on,” she said.
“I’m totally blind. I’m just trying to go to work.”
Source: 9News
