PLY FOR HIRE PERMITS IN THE NEWS
EDINBURGH FIRM TELLS DISABLED MAN “YOU’RE TOO FAT TO USE OUR CABS”
A cab firm reduced a disabled man to tears by telling him he was too fat to get in their vehicle. Ronnie
Dickson
weighs 33 stone and suffers from a celluli- tis, a skin condition that affects both his
legs.The painful med- ical condition means he is only able to walk with the help of two crutches and needs to use a disabled ramp to get into taxis. His failing health means the 64-year-old has been travelling to hospital over
the last
repeatedly few
months and is reliant on the service. According to Deadline
News, Edinburgh- based City Cabs have refused to let him trav- el in one of their taxis, as he could break the vehicle’s ramp. Mr Dickson had called on the firm to take him to a doctor’s appointment but was shocked to be told that he was too heavy to travel. His wife and carer, Hazel Dickson, 46, said: “My husband needs to use the ramp to get into a taxi on his crutches, but on Wednesday the driver said he couldn’t. “Ronnie came back into the house and he was actually crying, he was very upset
and I was angry.” She added her hus- band had had similar problems with other taxi firms in the past. City Cabs said they stood by their deci- sion.
Company
secretary of City Cabs, Les McVay, said: “Mr Dickson has been a customer with City Cabs for almost a year. In the past he has been able to gain access to the taxi with the assistance from the driver. “Unfortunately, Mr Dickson’s mobility has recently deterio- rated
and a
combination of his weight and the inabili- ty to bend his knees
TAXI SHOP A1 11 A2 18 / 24 / 36 A3 18 / 24 / 36 A5 10 B5 10 A6 18 / 19 Screen Signs Airport Board Messenger
has meant that he has started requesting the use of the wheelchair ramp to gain access to the taxi. “The
the wheelchair
ramp is designed to take a load in excess of 33 stone, but spread over
whole ramp. If Mr Dickson was in a wheelchair, then City Cabs could continue to provide a service. Mr Dickson damaged a ramp last week. The vehicle was off the road and the driver had to meet
the
repair bill at his own expense.” He added: “City Cabs fully recognise and are fully committed to
Taxi owners/Drivers/TaxiCompanies/Associa- tions are invited to apply for permits to ply for hire on the rank at BIRMINGHAM INTERNATIONAL STATION
Operated by Virgin - Managed by Cabfind Ltd on behalf of Virgin Trains
BIRMINGHAM INTERNATIONAL RAILWAY STATION
Price – 12 months from 12th March 2012 to 11th March 2013 - £329.60 per permit (Inc VAT) + £103.00 for additional drivers (Inc VAT)
Initial applications (without payment) should be made to:
Cabfind Ltd, Egerton House, Room 21A, 2 Tower Road, Birkenhead, CH41 1FN A full application pack will be sent to all valid applicants
Tel: 0843 6581190 Fax: 0843 6581191 Email:
permits@cabfind.com
www.cabfind.com
Cabfind are an equal opportunities employer
all of our disabled customers. “Obviously this inci- dent has caused Mr Dickson some dis- tress and that
is
regrettable, but due to his failing health, the
inability to bend his knees and his weight, he can no longer safely gain access to a normal
taxi. He
requires specialised help and a spe- cialised vehicle.”
LONDON CABBIES SLAM MP ABBOTT FOR CLAIMING THEY DRIVE PAST BLACK CUSTOMERS
Diane Abbott has been embroiled in another Twitter row after accusing Lon- don’s taxi drivers of driving past black customers. Scotland Yard is exam- ining allegations of racism against
the Roof Sign Plug Roof Sign Mag Cover Roof Sign Mags
Labour MP after she tweeted: “White people love playing ‘divide and rule.’” A Met spokesman said the complaints from mem- bers of the public were being considered but sources played down the possibility of an inquiry. Ms Abbott has also provoked
outrage Roof Sign Bulbs First Aid Kits Car Safe N & J Pitt Taximeter Services Ltd 0115 978 5861 PAGE 50
from cabbies with another tweet. “Dubi- ous of black people claiming
they’ve
never experienced racism,” she wrote from her iPhone on last month. “Ever tried hailing a taxi I always
wonder?” Steve McNamara, a spokesman for the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association,
said:
“This is a typically silly comment by Diane Abbott and deeply unfair. The modern generation of taxi driv- ers is as diverse as London itself and most of the knowl- edge schools now have prayer rooms. “Her comment is a silly stereotype that harks back to the days of
‘don’t go
south of the river’ and ‘hanging’s too good for them’. It is as out- dated and insulting as the stereotype that black people wear woolly hats all the time.” Mr McNamara added that Ms Abbott had once been a passen- ger in his cab. “She has no trouble being
picked up - I picked her up from a rather trendy mews develop- ment about ten or 12 years ago,” he said. Ms Abbott, the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, was ordered to apol- ogise by Labour leader Ed Miliband for her “divide and rule” tweet. Tory MPs said she should resign as shadow public health minis- ter. Labour Party sources said her comment about
taxi drivers
would be “looked at” by the leadership. “If she had suggested that all London taxi drivers are racist that would clearly be wrong,” source.
said “However,
she did not say that. She is probably speaking from per- sonal experience.”
PHTM FEBRUARY 2012
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