MOBILITY MATTERS


PETERBOROUGH MAN LAUNCHES NEW TAXI BUSINESS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES


An enterprising Peterborough man has launched a new PH firm specifically for people with disabilities. Passenger Assist Cambs is meeting a growing need for a specialist taxi facility for people with disabilities and needs. Mohammed Bashir, 36, said: “The business started with one £60,000 Mercedes Sprinter able to carry four passengers with room for wheelchairs and other equipment. “We also carry guide dogs for passengers with sight impairment. “This is a specialist mobility transport service that I’ve started due to the lack of transport available for the elderly and disabled passengers in the city.


“Our fleet comes equipped with specialist WAVs as standard which are equipped with tail lifts, side steps and grab handles. And our drivers are trained professionals in disability awareness, disability equipment and are Emergency First Aid at work qualified.”


Mr Bashir added: “Our ethos is to transport all clients with empathy, patience and care.” The arrival of the service has been welcomed by Peterborough MP Paul Bristow who said: “This is great work by Mohammed Bashir and the Passenger Assist team.” The need for the new service is underlined by DfT figures that show 926 vehicles were licensed to operate in Peterborough at the end of March – but just 133 (14 per cent) could be used by people in wheelchairs. Of the 122 traditional taxis, all were wheelchair accessible. But just 11 (one per cent) of the area’s 804 PHVs offered the same service.


THREAT OF LEGAL ACTION OVER BANNING OF PHVS FROM GEORGE STREET IN EDINBURGH


A taxi boss has suggested legal action could be taken against Edinburgh Council’s “ludicrous” plan to ban PHVs from George Street once


it’s pedestrianised, while


maintaining access for black cabs. The £36 million project to turn the city centre thoroughfare into a ‘cycling street’ with wider pave- ments will introduce new traffic restrictions, although ‘permitted’ vehicles will be allowed to enter between 7pm and 10am. Under the current proposals, that window will also apply to black cabs – but not PHVs which make up the majority of the city’s taxis. Kevin Woodburn, who runs private hire firm, Capital Cars, has called for “fair and equal treatment” of the trade’s two sectors, saying


PHTM JULY 2023


either both should be permitted on George Street or neither should. And speaking at a recent Transport Committee, he hinted at a possible legal challenge against the council over the new rules. “We fail to understand the reasoning and the logic,” he told councillors. Mr Woodburn said two-thirds of the vehicles licensed by


the


council are PHVs, adding: “The majority of the vehicles which service the public are not allowed access while the minority are – it makes no sense to us.” Describing the situation as “ludicrous,” he said there was “no data to back up why this decision has been taken”. A written deputation submitted by Mr Woodburn added: “We are


probably having to look at legal recourse to eventually have a conversation about this and other potential plans, all at yet another horrendous expense to everyone involved, including the council tax paying public of Edinburgh.” Cllr Arthur said the more traffic restrictions are relaxed, “the more of the value of what we’re trying to do is lost”. He said: “During peak times, we’ve got data that shows between 3,000 and 5,000 taxis come into George Street in a day. If we allowed that level of access, whilst it might be good for businesses, in the short-term we’d lose a lot of the value we’re trying to deliver on the street.” The George Street transformation is set to commence in 2025.


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