A Sydney cabbie is in the doghouse after refusing to allow a guide dog and its high-profile owner - Disability Discrimination Commissioner Graeme Innes - into his vehicle.

James Young couldn't have picked a worse person to turn away than Mr Innes, who is a lawyer and human rights advocate.

He promptly reported the cabbie to the Department for Transport which launched a prosecution.

On Wednesday, Young was fined $750 and ordered to pay $2,500 in costs at a Sydney court.

It's by no means the first time Mr Innes and his golden labrador Jordie have been refused a cab - an offence under federal and state law.

A recent Guide Dogs NSW/ACT survey showed one in three guide dog owners were turned away by cabbies in the past 12 months, with Sydney drivers the worst offenders.

A spokesman for the organisation suggests it may stem from cultural differences.

"Some of it is simply down to taxi drivers not understanding the law," Guide Dogs spokesman Charles Ulm told AAP.

"Some of it is cultural too. We don't have evidence for that, but many taxi drivers come from countries where dogs are looked down upon."

Mr Innes said he approached Young's taxi in Market Street last April and was told he wasn't welcome.

"I wouldn't say he was rude, but he was quite firm the dog or I wasn't getting in," Mr Innes told AAP.

Guide Dogs community education coordinator Dannie Hogan says plenty of drivers are very helpful to blind or visually impaired customers.

"We work closely with the NSW Taxi Council and we know there are many taxi drivers that willingly assist passengers with impaired vision," she said.

"But there are still too many reports of drivers who refuse passengers travelling with their guide dogs.

"We found that refusals are more likely to occur in Sydney. Taxi drivers in regional areas tend to build up a rapport with their regular passengers."

Guide Dogs has worked with the NSW Taxi Council for six years, educating drivers about guide dogs.

It plans to launch an advertising campaign in May to create further awareness of the issue.

Ironically, the ads will be placed on the back of taxis.

"This is a timely reminder to any public transport provider of their responsibilities and requirements," NSW Taxi Council CEO Peter Ramshaw said in a statement to AAP.

"The majority of taxi drivers do the right thing and it is in the industry's interests that those who breach the regulations are forced to change their behaviour."