Taxi Driver Online

The problem is that the Disabled Lobby (for want of a better expression) have large clout and the right contacts, and those right contacts pander, rightly or wrongly, to the Disable Lobby.

In fairness to councils the Equalities' Act places massive burdens on councils, which are pursued with vigor by the Disabled Lobby.

So I think the numbers you outline are inline with most of the country, it's just that there is f*** all we can do about it.

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IDFIMH

Not sure this operator is up for 'Gent of the Year'.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-25697433

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IDFIMH

This is going to be a good one to follow!

It's gone national now;

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/ho ... 54571.html

I suppose this will put the Law Commission work back again as they'll have this old PH chestnut to crack now.

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

A PH can charge what the hell they like.

Not exactly.
They can't charge a disabled person more than an able bodied person for the same vehicle. If a journey is £5.00 for an able bodied person then the same journey must be £5.00 for a disabled person.

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Grandad,

They aren't are they? If a normal person with a buggy wanted a 8 seater minibus they'd be charged same as the disabled person.

Minicab firm in Middlesbrough attacked for refusing to carry disabled passengers



Disability rights campaigners have called a taxi firm’s decision to stop carrying people in wheelchairs “outrageous”.

The owner of Middlesbrough’s Boro Taxis, the largest firm in the North East of England, conceded the move was “morally wrong” but said he had had no choice but to act after the local authority warned operators could lose their licences by charging disabled passengers extra.

Middlesbrough Council said it believed the move could be discriminatory. It followed a report for the authority which suggested that wheelchair users were being charged up to twice the price of their able-bodied counterparts.

Owner Mohammed Bashir said it was uneconomic to send “specialist” eight-seater minibuses to pick up disabled customers if it was required to charge the same price as it did for a smaller four-door vehicle.

“Morally it is totally wrong and I sympathise with disabled people. My mother was in a wheelchair and I understand exactly the situation. We have been put in a situation that if we do supply your taxi we will be in front of the licensing committee and we will lose our operators’ licence and that is what it is about,” he told BBC Tees:

“The simple fact is if you order a car and four people jump in you are charged for a taxi. If you order an eight-seater minibus and eight people jump in you are charged for a minibus. If you order a minibus and there's only one person you will still be charged for a minibus because that's what you ordered. But because we are charging for a minibus we are breaking the law,” he added. Mr Bashir was unavailable for comment yesterday.

Sue Bott, director of policy and development for campaign group Disability Rights UK said she believed the move could be contrary to the 2010 Equality Act. She said: “I am absolutely outraged. For goodness sake what is all this about? We are in a society and everybody should be able to take their place on an equal basis. Could you imagine if a taxi driver refused to take someone in their cab because they were black? There would be complete outrage.

“The question you have to ask yourself is why do they think they could get away with it? In our society what we are seeing is that disabled people are being made the scapegoats – the ones who must pay the price for our present economic difficulties,” she added.

Sarah Clifford of The Disabilities Trust said people with mobility and other issues already faced considerable problems accessing suitable transport. There is insufficient capacity on buses whilst wheelchair users were required to book ahead on train journeys to arrange for a ramp and assistance. “It does seem like an extraordinary decision and I hope the council will look into it,” she said.

Middlesbrough Council’s licensing committee published a report last week into claims of overcharging following complaints by members of the public. It concluded such actions potentially constituted a breach of equality legislation and has written to firms warning them that licences could be reviewed if the practice continues. Deputy mayor Dave Budd said companies had a “moral obligation to treat everybody the same”.

Last year a taxi firm in Hull scrapped a £10 charge it imposed on wheelchair users following complaints by a customer.

In 2011 a long –running row between Boro Taxis and the council over dropping off and picking up rights in the town was resolved. It followed the release of tape recordings made by Mr Bashir of private conversations he had with former close associate Middlesbrough mayor Ray Mallon.

A subsequent Standards Board for England inquiry found Mr Mallon had breached its code of conduct after investigating complaints over how the former senior police officer mayor had handled the dispute. The same year, Boro Taxis’ parent group, Middlesbrough Borough Cars, reported pre-tax profits of £223,072 in 2011 on a turnover of £2.46m.

source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/ho ... 54571.html

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

I don't think that this is what is happening though. People in wheelchairs ar being charged more than people who are not in wheelchairs. That is illegal.

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Grandad,

I cannot for the life of me understand where this company are coming from. The negative publicity must be seriously damaging their business.

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Boro Cars refutes claims it banned disabled people from using service


Boro Cars 'concerned that there is a public misconception of the problems for private hire operators of operating wheelchair accessible vehicles'


Teesside’s biggest minicab firm today refuted claims it banned disabled people from using its service - saying there has been a "public misconception."

Boro Cars admits that because of a row over pricing with Middlesbrough Council, it temporarily stopped providing a service to disabled people who required minibuses, as they cost more to hire.

But the Gazette can reveal today that after the row flared - with people angrily threatening to boycott the firm - the company has now agreed to subsidise the bigger vehicle fare cost until Middlesbrough Council “sees sense”.

As previously reported, a crackdown on discrimination against disabled taxi passengers was approved by council chiefs after the authority discovered firms across Teesside were charging wheelchair users “up to twice the price of their able-bodied counterparts as a direct consequence of their disability.”

As a result, taxi drivers and firms have been warned they face prosecution and/or referral to the council’s licensing committee if any future evidence of overcharging is presented.

But Boro Cars - said that when any person requires a minibus, whether disabled or not, they are charged more due to the size of the vehicle.

The firm therefore made a decision to temporarily suspend a service to disabled people who required a minibus after the “unguarded threat”.

But it has since decided to "subsidise this service" and charge disabled passengers who require a larger vehicle the same price as they would for a car.

A spokeswoman for the firm said: “Mohammed Bashir (the firm’s owner) and the other directors of Boro Cars are concerned that there is a public misconception of the problems for private hire operators of operating wheelchair accessible vehicles.

“The majority of vehicles operated by Boro Cars are not capable of carrying passengers who are confined to wheelchairs. Some minibuses are adapted for this purpose. Those vehicles are rented to drivers and the drivers expect that when a customer books that vehicle he, the driver, will receive the fare appropriate to that vehicle. He expects a fare of approximately twice that appropriate for a smaller car. The drivers therefore are reluctant to take a fare of half that which they would expect for that vehicle.”

Several Facebook groups were set up calling for Teessiders to “boycott” Boro Cars after reports suggested it was a blanket ban on disabled people.

These reports also circulated on other social networking sites - but the firm today denied this was ever the case.

The spokeswoman added: “As a temporary measure, until such time as the council sees sense, Boro Cars will subsidise this service. If a customer has to be provided with a minibus for reasons of disability, the driver will charge the same fare as for a smaller car and Boro Cars will compensate the driver for their loss. It is hoped other private hire operators will provide a similar service.”

Teesside Paralympian Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, who was among those who took to Twitter when she heard the initial reports, says she is pleased efforts to find a solution seem to be under way.

“It is good that they want to find a resolution,” she said. “It gives a lot of people peace of mind what the story actually is.”

She added: “It is important that disabled people are given an equal service.”

Middlesbrough Deputy Mayor Dave Budd said: “This issue was raised in a report to the council’s licensing committee following complaints that a number of private hire businesses in the town were operating differential pricing policies for wheelchair users and the disabled.

“This is in clear contravention of the Equality Act 2010, but rather than take legal action we felt it more appropriate in the first instance to remind all operators in the town of their obligations under the legislation. That prompted one operator to announce they would no longer provide a service for some disabled passengers, although I am pleased that this threatened withdrawal has now been removed.

“Middlesbrough Council is always happy to talk to the taxi trade to ensure the best possible service for all users, but it should go without saying that issues of equality are not open to discussion or negotiation.”

Full statement from Boro Cars

Mohammed Bashir and the other directors of Boro Cars are concerned that there is a public misconception of the problems for private hire operators of operating wheelchair accessible vehicles.

The majority of vehicles operated by Boro Cars are not capable of carrying passengers who are confined to wheelchairs. Some minibuses are adapted for this purpose. Those vehicles are rented to drivers and the drivers expect that when a customer books that vehicle he ,the driver , will receive the fare appropriate to that vehicle. He expects a fare of approximately twice that appropriate for a smaller car. The drivers therefore are reluctant to take a fare of half that which they would expect for that vehicle.

Boro Cars do not believe that the drivers should bear the responsibility and cost in the circumstances. It is for society as a whole to bear some of the cost. Middlesbrough Borough Council represent the wider society, has duties and responsibilities to fulfil and should bear some of the cost. However as a result of budget cuts Mayor Mallon axed the councils ' Dial a Ride' disabled transport service and then withdrew the taxi voucher scheme for the disabled. In some way the council expects that taxi drivers should bear the cost when they ,the council , declined to do so.

As a temporary measure until such time as the Council sees sense Boro Cars will subsidise this service. If a customer has to be provided with a minibus for reasons of disability the driver will charge the same fare as for a smaller car and Boro Cars will compensate the driver for their loss. It is hoped that other private hire operators will provide a similar service.

This solution will enable the council to have time to put in place a more appropriate service and time to also commence a full, open and transparent scrutiny of its own taxi licensing function to ensure that it starts to work with the trade for the benefit of the town.

source: http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teess ... ed-6500073

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

http://www.borotaxis.co.uk/vehicles.shtml

Again misleading reporting, they are not taxis

Quote:

Boro Cars refutes claims it banned disabled people from using service

I see, so the following means?

Quote:

Boro Cars admits that because of a row over pricing with Middlesbrough Council, it temporarily stopped providing a service to disabled people who required minibuses, as they cost more to hire.

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

that's why I corrected the article

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

So they are using misleading advertising on there web site, and the press got it wrong again
About Us

Boro Taxis has been operating for over 25 years and is the largest taxi company in the North East of England.

Boro Taxis is fully licensed with all the relevant Licensing Authorities.

when do the press ever get it right?

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin