Bus Éireann was ordered to pay Kenneth Walsh €4,000 after the Workplace Relations Commission found it discriminated against him by refusing him and his guide dog boarding on a bus. The WRC decision was dated 30 May 2024.
Walsh was travelling from Kinsale to Cork for a medical appointment on 26 June 2023. He said he had to take a taxi after the driver refused to let him board with his guide dog. Bus Éireann said the driver mistakenly believed the dog could not be accommodated on the coach. The company apologised for the incident and for not responding to Walsh’s correspondence.
The adjudication officer found that the driver acted unreasonably by refusing to accommodate the dog. The officer said the refusal was discriminatory on the disability ground, even if it was an isolated incident. Under the Equal Status Act, service providers must make reasonable arrangements for a person with a disability to access a service. The €4,000 compensation was for the distress Walsh suffered. The officer also asked the company’s accessibility manager to consider posting a notice on buses reminding drivers that guide dogs are permitted to travel.