'How can you just drive away?': Blind woman claims cab left her stranded in Victoria

Blind athlete says cab drove her to wrong location A blind Paralympic athlete in Victoria says a cab dropped her off in the wrong location and sped away after complaining about her guide dog.

Victoria — A national blind para-athlete says a Victoria cab driver abandoned her at the wrong address.

Victoria Nolan is in the city to train for the upcoming Tokyo 2021 Paralympic games. On March 10, she ordered a cab to take her to an appointment, and claims she was discriminated against.

"To get the courage to go out and do something, and then just have it turned upside down like that," said Nolan Friday. "To be stranded alone in the dark, and not know where you are [is scary]."

Nolan claims the Yellow Cab driver first questioned her about her guide dog, and then dropped her off at the wrong location. She says the worst part of the trip was when the driver sped off without warning after he had agreed to walk her to the front door.

"I don’t understand how a person can do that to someone," said Nolan. "You know that someone has a disability and needs your help, and you’re in the service industry. How can you just drive away and leave them stranded?"

Lost and scared, Nolan tried calling her husband in Ontario, but her poor internet connection made it difficult for him to figure out where she was. After almost 30 minutes, Nolan was able to get in contact with the business where she had an appointment, and it sent an employee out to help her.

CTV News reached out to Yellow Cab Victoria for a comment Friday, but the company has yet to respond. Nolan said she also made a complaint and has not heard back.

The athlete says this is not the first time she has had issues with the cab company.

Heather Walkus is the chairperson for the B.C Coalition of Guide Dog Users, and says this kind of discrimination is a daily reality for thousands of blind British Columbians. Walkus says she has spent most of her life fighting for legislation to protect the rights of Canadians with disabilities, and is demanding the government do more.

"[Instances like these] are a form of profiling, it’s a form of discrimination, and more importantly it puts our lives at risk," she said,

Launching a complaint against the company is also difficult. Walkus says there are virtually no laws in place to hold people accountable.

Nolan says she would like to see the driver she had disciplined, and the company’s staff educated.