MARCH 2009
...MATTERS
POPULAR TRANSPORT SCHEME SET TO BE AXED IN EALING
Hundreds of elderly and disabled people could lose out on a £200 travel budget if proposals to axe a popular transport scheme go ahead. More than 700 people in Ealing rely on the Capital Call Scheme which gives members a budget for private cab use because there is a shortage of Lon- don taxis in the borough. The Transport Co-ordi- nation Centre, which operates the booking service for members, writes in its report that the area is well-served by taxis and recom- mends the removal of Capital Call from Eal- ing to other boroughs. The 727 members of the scheme are angered by what they believe is a move by Transport for London (TfL) to save £150,000 a year, and the lack of
consultation. Sally O’Connor,
the
chairwoman of Ealing Mobility Forum, said that despite there being a recent increase in black cabs in the town centre, those living on the bor- ders will continue to face travel difficulties. The Chandos Avenue resident told the Ealing Gazette: “Disabled and elderly people in cen- tral Ealing may have access to cab ranks but those living on the edge of the borough such as Perivale and Northolt face major problems and don’t have cars running past their doors.
“The scheme wasn’t perfect and £200 does- n’t go far these days, but at least we knew exactly where we were with money.
“It will be a tragic loss for the people on the fringes and will restrict
their travel farther afield.” Sian Vasey, director of Ealing Centre for Inde- pendent Living, said the scheme has been very useful as black cabs are not always available.
She said: “This is clearly a cost-cutting measure by TfL which will deprive people of a vital transport link.” Transport for All (TfA), which campaigns for accessible travel for disabled people, called an urgent meeting to discuss the proposed cuts.
TfA director Faryal Velmi said: “Membership in Ealing increased by 21 per cent this year which clearly indicates a grow- ing need.
“TfL and the Public Carriage Office’s rea- soning for these cuts are that black cab pro- vision in the borough has improved.”
DRIVER LAUNCHES WEBSITE TO HELP DISABLED CUSTOMERS IN ALTON
A taxi driver has joined forces with Taxi-
club.co.uk to launch a website to assist cus- tomers with special needs.
According to Hugo Wil- son, of Chawton Cabs, the new online service will be free of charge both to customers and taxi operators, with tar- geted advertising to cover the running costs. According to the Alton Herald, the site will enable special needs customers to select the most suitable means of transport for their partic- ular requirement, be it room for a scooter or wheelchair, with vehi- cles ranging from London cabs to people carriers and estate cars. According to Mr Wilson, the system is simple to use. Having accessed the website, www.
specialneedstaxi.co.uk, ºthe customer then enters the required col- lection and drop-off points and the time and type of vehicle required, and the sys- tem will quote the price for all suitable vehicles covering that area. According to Mr Wilson, Alton cabbies are used to transporting cus- tomers with varying disabilities and he believes the new serv- ice will be invaluable to them.
In addition, East Hamp- shire District Council asked the Alton Taxi Driv- ers’ Association to come up with a way to help customers with special needs. The online serv- ice will help to address this requirement by list- ing vehicles that are disability friendly.
With the new website in
its infancy, word has gone out for more taxi firms to sign up to the site, to give users more choice. There are current- ly five East Hampshire firms on board.
Mr Wilson explained that the system was fair, adding that all licensed taxi drivers were allo- cated an area based on postal codes and when the customer asked for a quote it would only come from drivers licensed to operate in the area covering the collection point.
A keen supporter of the Alton-based Over the Wall charity which pro- vides holidays for children with life-threat- ening illness, Mr Wilson is passionate about help- ing people of all ages with disabilities and he is hoping use of the new website will grow.
MUM LEFT FUMING AFTER AUTISTIC SON ABANDONED BY DRIVER IN CRAWLEY
A distraught mum has told how her autistic son was left aban- doned and alone taking him three hours to get home after a taxi driver dumped him on Manor Royal. Mum-of-two Leigh Wal- ton, 39, from Ifield said her autistic son Dale, 20, who has the mental age of a seven-year- old, was on his way to Gatwick Grove care home on a recent Fri- day morning when the Metro taxi driver took a detour and abandoned him on Manor Royal because he didn’t have enough money for the fare home. Frightened Dale, who has only lived in Craw- ley since July, was spotted crying and terri- fied by two kind security guards who gave him a cup of tea and put him on a bus home.
Angry mum Leigh told the Crawley Observer: “We would firstly like to thank the security guards who stopped to help him. If it hadn’t been for them I don’t want to think what would have happened. “According to this driver Dale asked to go to Manor Royal but he would never have asked that because we haven’t lived here for long. “The driver should have known where he was going and he had spe- cial needs. He refused to take him home and drove off because he said he couldn’t pay, even though the fare is funded by social servic- es and the county council.”
Managing director of Metro, Zaffer Khan, said: “The driver picked the lad up from his home and took him
to Gatwick Grove and he asked the driver please can you take me to Gatwick Road. “The driver didn’t know he was autistic. Our management team were aware of this but the driver didn’t know. “If someone has a dis- ability they are supposed to have an escort with them. “We work with the West Sussex County Council who said that they are supposed to have an escort. We asked the parents if they need an escort and they said no. “They said he carries his own cash and mobile phone and it can give him his own independence. “We apologised even though this wasn’t our fault and asked them how we could make this better.”
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