Sorry, after guide dog not let on bus

A bus driver was disciplined and told to apologize for refusing to let a blind passenger with a guide dog on his vehicle.

The Shanghai No. 5 Bashi Co has advised all its drivers to ensure this does not happen again, an official said.

"The driver suspected that the guide dog was an ordinary pet so refused to let them on the bus," a company official surnamed Jin said.

He said the No. 65 bus driver and company officials had visited the passenger, surnamed Zhou, to apologize.

Zhou, a masseur at a local blind massage shop, said the driver refused to open the door for his dog at a Sichuan Road N. bus stop and drove away.

"The driver said no dogs were allowed on the bus, even though many passengers told him that a guide dog should be admitted according to the law," Zhou said.

Zhou got his registered guide dog Qiu Ming from a local disabled people's federation in 2009.

Under city regulations, blind people can take their guide dogs onto public transport and inside public buildings, such as cinemas, hospitals and restaurants.

However, the clause is not widely known, and blind people with dogs have complained of being refused access.

Other members of the public are sometimes intolerant too.

On buses, even though drivers are prepared to allow guide dogs on board, complaints from passengers sometimes see them change their mind, an employee of Shanghai Bashi Group said.

Blind passengers can also take guide dogs onto aircraft, under a regulation from the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

Passengers must produce ID and quarantine certificates and accept security screenings for their dogs.