a blind athlete was unable to take a Parisian taxi because of his guide dog

French sprinter Timothée Adolphe was refused a taxi ride in Paris at the end of May. The incident, rather rare, worries him in particular a few days before the Paralympic Games.

Less than 100 days before the Paralympic Games in Paris, is France ready to welcome athletes from all over the world with disabilities? The question remains unresolved after several complaints to taxi and VTC companies in recent weeks. Among them, Timothée Adolphe who had an unpleasant experience at the end of May.

The blind French sprinter, headliner of the next Games, was refused access to a taxi on May 28, 2024, in the Paris region, even though he was accompanied by his guide dog. The athlete assures him: he had nevertheless organized himself, as usual. “When I book, I specify that I am blind and that I am accompanied by a guide dog. That way, there are no surprises…”he explains to franceinfo.

The taxi driver arrives, Timothée receives a message, and leaves his house, accompanied by his dog. “There is a car parked across the street and driving away. She leaves. No matter how much I make signs, no one stops. So I say to myself okay, I’m going to call him via the application And the driver doesn’t answer and puts me on voicemail. And in the process, the race is canceled“, he says, specifying that it is a recurring situation, but nevertheless incomprehensible.

Drivers are indeed required to accept guide dogs. “You are a taxi driver, it’s quite simple: you take an old sheet that you no longer use, you put it in the trunk and the day you have a dog who shows up, the car is protected“, advises Timothée.

This time, the athlete decides to file a complaint so that the “things are moving“: “We are less than three months from the Games, we will also welcome people with disabilities with potentially guide dogs. I don’t know if, in three months, we will be able to change mentalities, but in any case, there is work!“

In fact, according to the Observatory for the Accessibility of Guide Dogs, 17 similar cases of refusal for VTCs and taxis were reported during the last census in 2022 – compared to 167 refusals of access to public places that year -, but many others are not reported. Contacted by franceinfo, the G7 company indicates that it strongly condemns the incident, specifying that all its drivers are aware and that the one concerned by the incident with Timothée Adolphe was immediately suspended. The company also has a fleet of 500 taxis equipped with access ramps for wheelchairs.