MOBILITY MATTERS


Of all the various categories and departments we feature regular- ly in this newspaper, surely Mobility Matters really do matter – from the standpoint of the recently announced review of taxi and private hire legislation that is being contemplated.There have been count- less court cases, Committee hearings, revoked vehicle licences, disabled passengers left out in the cold, hurt or even having lost their lives in a licensed vehicle. All of this points one way: that whoever is designated to sort out the legislation reform move- ment, they must surely focus intently on getting some answers in this area. The Equality Act 2010 has been an Act for nearly a year, and so far no movement has been announced on consultation as to percentages of WAVs in still-regulated local authorities; in fact no further Regulations have been brought out to enact any of sec- tions 160-172 pertaining to our industry. Something’s gotta give!


DUO CALL FOR DUNDEE LICENSING CHIEF TO STEP DOWN IN TAXI ROW


Unite union taxi branch secretary Chris Elder and the secre- tary of the Dundee Taxi Association (DTA) Tony Waters, have accused the convener of the council’s licens- ing committee, Rod Wallace, of being “biased” over contro- versial proposals that could force taxi drivers into using wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs) and the possi- ble reintroduction of a cap. Mr Wallace chose not to respond to the alle- gations with a spokes- man for Dundee City Council explaining, “Because of the quasi-judicial nature of the licensing com- mittee it is inappropriate for any member of the com- mittee to comment on matters that have yet to be decided.”


Despite the authority refusing to be drawn on the matter, Mr Elder said Mr Wallace holds a personal view after the councillor said the status quo was not an option dur- ing a committee meeting in March. Two options had been up for debate during the meeting - a 100 per cent wheelchair accessible taxi fleet with a limit on num- bers and a 100 per cent wheelchair accessible taxi fleet without a limit.


But anger voiced from PAGE 46


some in the taxi trade prompted councillors to defer a decision until further consulta- tion is carried out. In addition, two fur- ther options put forward are for keep- ing the existing policy of no limit with only new applicants having to have wheelchair accessible vehicles, and introducing a limit on numbers with a mix of saloon cars and wheelchair accessible vehicles. Last month the coun- cil launched its eagerly anticipated Taxi Survey Question- naire to better gauge public opinion but, according to Mr Elder, some of the 18 ques- tions included in the document would put people off filling it in. “The council should not be running this. We think there should be an independent body carrying out this survey or even using one of the local uni- versities. “We were not consult- ed in this ques- tionnaire, in fact we were deliberately shut out and I would like to know why,” he said. Echoing this view was Tony Waters. He said: “It is a questionnaire for drivers and users to fill in but to be hon- est it should only be service users.


“And it should be filled in by all taxi cus- tomers and not only


the disabled because not everyone wants wheelchair accessible vehicles.”


But the local authority defended its position saying the final list of questions, and the for- mat of the ques- tionnaire, had been agreed by members of the licensing commit- tee after two briefings by council officers. “It is not appropriate for groups with a vested interest, such as the taxi trade, to be involved in the compi- lation of the questions,” continued the spokesman. “The question over mobility component, in conjunction with other relevant ques- tions relating to disability and/or car- ing responsibilities, is ‘relevant evidence’ to ensure the council meets its responsibili- ties under the Equality Act 2010.” Four options are on the table for the licensing committee to consider.


Unite and the DTA have both stated their support for option three which backs a taxi cap but without compulsory WAVs. However both bodies believe Mr Wallace wants option one which is for a cap on taxi numbers and require all vehicles to be WAVs.


A decision date has not yet been given.


COUNCIL EXPOSES CARDIFF DRIVERS’ POOR SERVICE FOR WHEELCHAIR USERS


The poor treatment of wheelchair-bound passengers by some cabbies in Cardiff has been exposed.


A Cardiff Council employee in a wheel- chair mystery shop- ped a number of taxis following complaints. The undercover wheelchair user was used to established whether taxis had vehicle ramps, how they secured the wheelchair and that they were not over- charging.


Of the four vehicles approached for a hir- ing, one driver refused to take the employee, two made an additional charge, one of whom also did not correctly secure


the wheelchair.


Only one out of the four correctly per- formed his duties. The drivers will be reported for discipli- nary action, the council said.


The exercise followed an increasing number of complaints to the Licensing Section from wheelchair users claiming taxi drivers do not treat them fair- ly and are reluctant to accept fares.


Councillor Ed Bridges, chairman of the council’s Public Protection Commit- tee, told the South Wales Echo: “The Public Section Com- mittee will take strong action against those drivers who shirk their


responsibilities to assist the most vul- nerable passengers.” Due to the findings, the council has said it will carry out further education in the near future.


Charles Willie, Chief Executive Officer of The Cardiff and Vale Coalition of Disabled People and Chair of the Cardiff’s Access Group, said: “It is vital that all hackney car- riage drivers under- stand their duties and do not discriminate against disabled per- sons, we are very supportive of the action taken by the licensing authority and will be assisting in whatever way we can.”


CALDERDALE CAMPAIGN TO ENSURE WHEELCHAIR USERS PROPERLY STRAPPED IN


A new safety cam- paign is being launched at taxi driv- ers who carry dis- abled people in wheelchairs.


Entitled “Safety on the Move” it stemmed from an idea by Ann Holgate who tragical- ly lost her son, Kristian, in March 2009.


The 17-year-old Ras- trick student suffered from muscular dystro- phy. He died almost a month after he was thrown from his wheelchair while trav- elling in a specially-adapted cab at Ainley Top on route to Huddersfield New College.


On June 24 Calder- dale Council’s Road Safety Team and Ravenscliffe High School, Halifax, launched the cam-


paign.


Mrs Holgate wants to ensure the safety of wheelchair users as they are transported by ensuring that the wheelchair and pas- senger are properly restrained.


“No family should have to go through what we have,” she told the Halifax Couri- er. “Taking simple steps to ensure that wheel- chairs and their occupants are prop- erly secured could help prevent a tragedy.


“It only takes a few seconds to put a seat belt on - and for wheelchair users, those few seconds of extra care could be the difference between life and death in the event of a crash.”


Hackney carriage drivers and Calderdale Access buses will display stickers with the mes- sage “We Care. We Will Secure Your Chair” and stickers for wheelchairs will say “Please Care. Secure My Chair.” Calderdale Council said it hoped other local authorities and transport providers would join the cam- paign. In February this year a Crown Court judge halted the case against the cab driver transporting Kristian because he said it would have been an abuse of process. During an earlier interview the driver said he had secured Kristian’s wheelchair in the taxi but forgot to fasten a seat belt.


PHTM AUGUST 2011


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