92 PRIVATE HIRE AND TAXI MONTHLY
MARCH 2009 MOBILITY...
BLIND MAN’S ANGER AT TAXI REJECTIONS IN ROCHDALE
Two taxi drivers who refused to carry a blind man with his guide dog have had their licences suspended by Rochdale Council. Talib Hussain and Mohammed Idrees left Jon Prashar stranded outside Rochdale train station with his dog Amber.
Thanks to a quick-think- ing colleague, who took down their registration numbers, the pair were tracked down and fined. Now they have had their hackney cab licences suspended for two weeks.
Mr Prashar from Leeds, who has been blind since birth, said: “I’m happy that it’s now over. I just hope that they have learned their les- sons and it’s made other people aware of it.” Hussain, aged 51, of Chevron Close, Mar- land, was fined £125 by Rochdale Magistrates
while Idrees, aged 37, of Bolton Road, Sudden, was fined £100.
Both were also ordered to pay £128 costs in a landmark prosecution case for Rochdale Council.
Now the council’s licens- ing department, has gone one step further by imposing the ban. Licensing panel chairman Andy Glover has described the drivers’ actions as ‘unacceptable’. Mr Idrees was the driver at the head of the rank and when approached by Mr Prashar with his guide dog, he refused to carry the animal.
Mr Idrees later claimed that this was due to an allergy from which he suffered, although he had not applied to the council for an exemption from carrying animals on his licence.
Mr Prashar then approached Mr Hus- sain, the second driver
in the queue, but he also declined to carry the dog.
Mr Glover said: “It is unacceptable for the borough’s taxi drivers to decline to carry a guide dog.
“The council has prose- cuted the drivers concerned and also suspended their licence, showing the serious- ness with which such matters are treated.” Councillor Keith Swift, portfolio holder for equality and diversity at the council, said: “We are keen to ensure that all members of the com- munity have appropriate access to private hire vehicles in the borough and are treated fairly.”
Mmm...This action was applauded by the Chief Exec of the Guide Dogs for the Blind Assoc, who said: “Hats off to Rocha- dle Council - I am convinced others will follow.” - Ed
FREE WEEKLY TAXI TRAVEL FOR DISABLED IN NEWCASTLE A disabled woman
stranded by the Metro scooter ban found she could get free taxis - after being told by the Secretary for Transport. Nexus barred the mobility vehicles from their trains in August amid safety concerns. But when scooter user Nancy Porter from Gos- forth, Newcastle, contacted her MP to complain, she was astonished to learn that she was entitled to a free return cab fare once a week to help soften the blow.
Doug Henderson, MP for Newcastle North, wrote to the Depart- ment for Transport on her behalf. And he received a reply from Transport Secretary Paul Clarke about the
possibility of getting taxis instead.
Nancy said: “I had no idea that I was allowed a free taxi ride, and I bet other people don’t either. “When I phoned up Nexus I was told it was on the website, but I haven’t seen it.”
The taxi rides, which are available on a case- by-case basis, have to start and end at a Metro station. Nancy, 58, tried out her first taxi ride last month, and said she was delighted she was able to get out.
She told the Newcastle- upon-Tyne Evening Chronicle: “I have had a long hard fight up until now, and some- times it is hard to keep fighting when you’re not getting anything
back.
“It gives you something to hang on to. This is only once a week, but at least they are finally doing something.” Nexus, which oper- ates the Metro trains, introduced the free rides in September last year, but said they were not universal for all disabled passen- gers.
A spokesman said: “We have offered pas- sengers with disabilities who use scooters a number of alternatives to Metro travel depending on their needs.”
But despite the free taxis, Nancy said she was determined to carry on fighting for the scooter ban to be over- turned.
RETHINK ON DISABLED TAXIS POLICY IN WIGAN
A controversial scheme threatening to drive Wigan cabbies out of business has been put on ice.
The Metro has been pushing ahead with a requirement that all hackney cabs operat- ing in the borough must become fully disabled accessible.
This would mean almost two-thirds of the 136 licence holders having to replace their saloons with classic London Black Cab-style vehi- cles, which can accept wheelchair users. Angry cab drivers insist- ed that many would not be able to afford the extra investment, and that the heavier cabs that can take a wheel- chair fare would lead to more pollution.
They also insisted that there are already enough suitable cabs working the ranks across the borough to meet such demand. Now the council’s licensing committee has agreed to defer the scheme for at least a year while it reviews the proposals.
And it will also set up a focus group jointly with representatives of the trade to agree a policy
which won’t harm the hackney business. Unite union branch secretary Ronnie Melling says that speci- fying only wheelchair accessible purpose- built cabs can be used in the future actually discriminates against disabled customers, by removing their right to travel by a saloon car on taxi ranks.
He also claimed that the council was ignor- ing the timescales and exemptions laid down by the Government over the scheme’s introduction.
Mr Melling told the Wigan Evening Post: “Black cabs use almost twice as much fuel to do the same mileage as a saloon car,
causing
twice as much pollution and using twice the energy. How can the trade invest in better quality vehicles at a time of reduced earnings? “We have been trying to think of the benefits to the public but have been at a loss to come up with one.”
Wigan cab drivers’ opposition to any com- pulsory type of vehicle is also being backed by pensioners’ charity Help The Aged.
Regional development manager Neil Mosley said he was very con- cerned at the council’s intention to restrict future taxi provision to pur- pose-built vehicles only. He said: “We support choice and flexibility on the provision of trans- port services. Many older people who use taxis prefer to use saloon cars rather than hackney cabs and other types of purpose- built vehicles.
“They say that typically saloon cars are easier to get into and out of and that they provide a more comfortable ride, particularly for those with arthritis and similar conditions. Passengers in hackney cabs may get thrown from side to side.
A spokesman for the Metro confirmed: “Offi- cers agree that the current recession will have an impact on busi- ness and an early implementation of this policy could have an adverse effect on the trade. As a result, we are now recommending that the implementation date be deferred until April 2010, which will be put to the regulation committee at its next meeting.”
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