towag wrote:
toots wrote:
towag wrote:
Are they really ALL that and like that everywhere, no they're not. Some people have to be assisted into HCs and would rather wait in the rain for the saloon, which here is not only easier for them to get into but is cheaper than the HC. Not everybody is the same and not all areas are the same and nor should they be. It is not for you or I to decide what type of vehicle the customer has to travel in but I'd put money on the customers marching with their feet if all they could get was a purpose built HC. I think we'd end up pre 1976 if that was the case. A little food for thought, how does an arthritic with very little ability to grip anything safely put themselves into a purpose built taxi? I know it's not easy whichever vehicle they are getting into but I know which type they prefer, in my experience they don't like to be man handled. How would you like it if you didn't have a choice for the things you wanted?
Funnily enough they
are ("Some") in the minority and should call for an ambulance if they are
that bad they can't get in or out of any car period. Cheaper? Definitely not!!!! PH here have a minimum fare of £4.50 and most of them only go around the corner and meter the pull off at £2.80!!!
So there you go!! 
Yes we have a duty of care, but where does one draw the line? If they prefer a PH or a saloon they can phone for one and freeze in the meantime, not wait on the rank and then complain that they can't get in when they can. I'm of the attitude that if they want to get in they will with a bit of help from me or they can wait for a more expensive saloon who doesn't really want to do it anyway. I think Toots you are most definitely in the very rare minority when it comes to PH service......

The more miserable, grumpy ones who can't even
say please, I just point out that they can get in and I will glad to help, but I'm not taking responsibility if they hurt themselves. They more often than not decline.....

In other words ya cant help everyone all of the time and you in a saloon
are in some way indirectly discriminating in not being able to take someone in a wheelchair if they can't get out of it!!.... Think about it.....

I think you will find that just because you say you won't be responsible doesn't mean you won't be. Having read that you seem to be deliberately putting people off getting into your vehicle imo. I'm not sure why you believe that all people are the same and that all disabilities are the same it sounds like Stepford

As this thread is whether or not there should be a single tier and all vehicles would be taxis I fail to see the relevance of the price comparison as they would all be metered vehicles and set at council rates. I also still believe that if all vehicles were to be WAVs you'd end up with the pre 1976 problem of unlicenced saloons performing ph work as there would be no room for the saloons in any new act. Like it or not the customer chooses the type of vehicle that transports them, not you or I.
This little gem "The more miserable, grumpy ones who can't even
say please, I just point out that they can get in and I will glad to help, but I'm not taking responsibility if they hurt themselves." is as discriminating as you get, shame on you

There's more than one way to discriminate.