Taxi Driver Online

Keighley disabled minicab users’ anger at fares hike


Minicab firms discriminating against disabled customers by charging them higher fares than other passengers should be taken to court, a leading campaign group has demanded this week.

People First Keighley and Craven says legal action is now needed following a disappointingly poor response to its original appeal for fair treatment.

Lead campaigner, Tom Walsh, claims some private hire firms continue to charge disabled passengers inflated prices compared to able-bodied customers despite the warnings.

He alleges unscrupulous drivers are still flouting the law in Keighley district a year after Bradford Council ordered them to meet the requirements of disability discrimination laws.

And other district groups have reported similar issues.

Tom said: “They were given six months and basically nothing has changed – it’s looking like it might need prosecutions for this to be enforced.

“Once a company has been prosecuted, other firms might think it’s only a matter of time before they are also taken to court.”

Tom said he had volunteered to be the complainant if the council is willing to take a test case to court in a bid to end the unfair practice.

But Stuart Hastings, director of private hire firm Metro Keighley, has hit back at the claims.

He argues equal pricing has become common practice amongst minicab firms following People First’s 2012 report.

Mr Hastings said: “I don’t know what People First is talking about. They need to name the firms that are doing it.”

People First, which is run by adults with learning disabilities, first launched its campaign early last year after discovering some firms were charging up to double the fare.

People in wheelchairs have to use seven-seater vehicles, which usually cost more to hire than normal taxis that can only carry four people.

But Tom, who himself uses a wheelchair, called several minicab firms asking for prices. He then phoned the following day to request fees for the same journey for a wheelchair user, only to be quoted a significantly higher figure.

Haworth parish councillor, Barry Thorne, who has campaigned for many years against disability discrimination, agrees taxi companies charging higher fares for disabled passengers should face prosecution.

He added: “You don’t charge more in a restaurant because a wheelchair takes up more space.

“Do you pay more in a shop to get more assistance? Of course you don’t.”

Metro Keighley charges wheelchair users the price of a four-seat car rather than the normal cost of the larger vehicle, and the company pays the difference to the minicab driver.

Mr Hastings added: “I dare say overcharging is happening, but rather than going to the Keighley News or the council, people should report it to the minicab operator.”

Ian Bairstow, Bradford Council’s strategic director for environment and sport, said private hire firms could not charge more for a journey simply because the customer was disabled.

He revealed the council has been working closely with private hire firms to make sure their policies and procedures complied with the Equality Act.

But he added: “Any prosecution for failure of a private hire operator to comply with the Equality Act would be a matter for the individual customer to take.

“If a prosecution is brought against a private hire operator, the licensing office would then be in a position to consider whether to revoke their licence to operate.”People First, which is run by adults with learning disabilities, launched its campaign early last year after discovering some firms were charging up to double the fare.

People in wheelchairs have to use seven-seater vehicles, which usually cost more to hire than normal taxis that can only carry four people.

But Tom, who himself uses a wheelchair, called several taxi firms asking for prices. He then phoned the following day to request fees for the same journey for a wheelchair user, only to be quoted a significantly higher figure.

Haworth parish councillor, Barry Thorne, who has campaigned for many years against disability discrimination, agrees taxi companies charging higher fares for disabled passengers should face prosecution.

He added: “You don’t charge more in a restaurant because a wheelchair takes up more space.

“Do you pay more in a shop to get more assistance? Of course you don’t.”

Metro Keighley charges wheelchair users the price of a four-seat car rather than the normal cost of the larger vehicle, and the company pays the difference to the driver.

Mr Hastings added: “I dare say overcharging is happening, but rather than going to the Keighley News or the council, people should report it to the taxi operator.”

Ian Bairstow, Bradford Council’s strategic director for environment and sport, said private hire firms could not charge more for a journey simply because the customer was disabled.

He revealed the council has been working closely with private hire firms to make sure their policies and procedures complied with the Equality Act.

But he added: “Any prosecution for failure of a private hire operator to comply with the Equality Act would be a matter for the individual customer to take.

“If a prosecution is brought against a private hire operator, the licensing office would then be in a position to consider whether to revoke their licence to operate.”

source: http://www.keighleynews.co.uk/news/1039 ... ares_hike/

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

A taxi can only charge more if there are 5 or more passengers usually.

_________________
Grandad,

Not necesarily as we charge extra for every additional person over one.

Ermmmm can't Private Hire charge what they like??

Yes - but they cant make a difference between what they'd charge the disabled and able bodied.

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

No wonder folk go to PH down there, your meters should be set for the full cab not per person

People in wheelchairs have to use seven-seater vehicles, which usually cost more to hire than normal taxis that can only carry four people.

[/quote]
A taxi can only charge more if there are 5 or more passengers usually.[/quote]
Not necesarily as we charge extra for every additional person over one.[/quote]

No wonder folk go to PH down there, your meters should be set for the full cab not per person[/quote]
PH are the same einstein,the more people the more the fare why not ? Sorry your in the discount/undercutting buisness arent you

I think we had a discussion over this when it was first reported.

If you book a seven seater you will pay the rate for that motor, same with a four seater.

If the seven seater is being used for a wheelchair, then that's a moot point, but I think they could be justified charging a higher fare.

Of course the WAV punter can now book a four seater WAV, and that shouldn't be charged any different.

_________________
IDFIMH

But if the tariff sheet states 1 to 4 passengers at rate 1, and 5 to 7 passengers at rate 2, the 7 seater would be overcharging running on rate 2, if only on passenger, regardless of in a WC

Petition request for ‘fair’ taxi charges by disabled

Tom Walsh, who is campaigning against wheelchair users having to pay higher fares for taxisTom Walsh, who is campaigning against wheelchair users having to pay higher fares for taxis

Keighley Town Council has been asked to support a campaign to stop cab firms ‘discriminating’ against disabled customers.

Keighley disability group People First claims some firms are charging higher fares for people in wheelchairs than other passengers.

People First representatives Omar Sardar and Tom Walsh presented a petition to the council’s recent watch and transport committee meeting.

They told members some firms charged double the amount compared to able-bodied people because wheelchair users were forced to use bigger, adapted vehicles.

Mr Walsh said that in one instance he had been charged £80 for two return trips to Bradford.

Committee members decided they needed more information about the legality of charging extra for wheelchair users.

Following further investigation, they will invite Mr Sardar and Mr Walsh to return to a future meeting. They will also invite Keighley MP Kris Hopkins to attend.

People First Keighley and Craven launched its fair fares campaign last year after researching the charges made by many taxi firms in the district. Mr Walsh last month called for legal action to be taken against private hire firms that still charged inflated prices

http://www.keighleynews.co.uk/news/1043 ... _disabled/

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

I think we would all like some more information about that legality.

_________________
IDFIMH

It's one thing supplying a service suitable for wheelchair users but not if it incurs a lowering of profits to the Business's supplying the service, the really galling part to most metered Hack drivers is that they are only the transport of the last resort after the Wheel chair users attempt at booking subsidised Community transport has fallen flat.

Lancashire teen’s discrimination battle

Photo Neil Cross 19 year-old Jack Milner has muscular dystrophe and enjoys going out with his friends at night, but often finds himself having to wait over an hour until a taxi agrees to pick him up
Published on the

Published 18/05/2013 11:00


A disabled teen has hit out at taxi drivers he claims persistently ignore him because he uses a wheelchair.


Jack Milner, 19, from Longton, near Preston, was born with muscle-wasting condition Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, which has robbed him of his mobility.
He said that on nights out in Preston city centre, he often has to wait hours for a taxi to pick him up, despite all black cabs having ramps and wheelchair straps.

The discrimination has been labelled a “hate crime” by town centre councillor Michael Lavalette, who has called for the immediate banning of drivers found flouting the law.

Jack, who usually manages to get a lift into town, said: “Every time I go out getting back is a struggle.

“The other night I was with a friend waiting at the taxi rank outside Lava Ignite in Church Street, and four taxis drove past me, saying they didn’t have any ramps, before I got one to stop.

“I find it very frustrating when I see the drivers signalling ‘no light’, and then other people get in.”

When Jack and his group do manage to get a taxi, drivers don’t always strap the wheelchair in, leaving Jack’s friends having to hold it in place.

Jack said: “On one occasion the taxi went too fast round a corner, my chair slid, and I smacked my head on the window.

“Other times my friends have had to get on their knees on the cab floor to try to keep the chair in position.”

Jack said he has also been refused a taxi outside Preston railway station and had to call his dad John for a lift at 3am.

John said: “When Jack told me that he’d been waiting over an hour to get a taxi, I decided that I wasn’t going to have it. People need to know what’s going on.

“It’s not just Jack that’s affected, it’s his mates too, and I think that cabbies saying they haven’t got a ramp is a weak excuse not to get out of the cab.”

A spokesman for Preston-based Disability Equality North West said he had heard similar complaints before.

He said: “This is something that our advisers do hear about in Preston, and we write letters to the authorities, calling for action.”

All 187 black cabs in Preston have ramps as well as straps and are wheelchair accessible.

Preston council operates a penalty points scheme for refusing disabled passengers, with any proven offence carrying a 10-point penalty.

Any driver accumulating 20 points in a rolling 12-month period is required to attend a hearing, and could have their licence suspended.

Mr Milner added: “When I spoke to an enforcement officer at the council who said that it was up to Jack, as the victim of discrimination, to provide the evidence that the taxi drivers are not doing their job.

“This puts him in a confrontational situation, a place where he doesn’t want to be.

“I would have expected the council to have at least said they would remind all of their drivers of their obligations to take the next passenger regardless of disability.”

A spokesman for Preston Council said: “Passengers should not be turned away from a black cab in the city because of a disability as all the vehicles are equipped to accommodate wheelchairs.

“Any driver found to be discriminating passengers in this way will be disciplined accordingly.”

Charles Oakes chairman of the Bolton, Bury, Burnley, Preston Hackney Association, said the responsibility of taxi drivers was “not cut and dried”.

He said: “Drivers know the conditions of licensing and they know how the Disability Discrimination Act works as well.

“There are a few situations where I would think it was right for a driver to refuse to pick up a disabled passenger but this must not be abused.

“Drivers need to make a judgement call if they are responsible for loading and unloading, and if they think they can’t do it safely, then I believe that health and safety rules over-ride everything else.”

He added: “I’ve done it in the past when there was a disabled man of about 20 stone. I thought no way am I pushing him up a ramp, for my own safety, and for his.

“It’s not clear-cut on insurance either – where does our responsibility start and finish?

“We’ve had claims against drivers in the past for damaging electric wheelchairs.

“There are a lot of considerations on this subject and drivers must apply them sensibly.

“It must also be remembered that there’s not one Hackney carriage that fits all – there’s all different types of chairs now.”

Coun Lavalette, said: “It’s outrageous to hear this is going on and I would like to see any driver doing this banned immediately.

“We should strive to help disabled people lead the life that they want to.

“This fits in with the national trend of hate crimes increasing.

“Although it’s not a physical attack, it’s humiliating and it counts as a hate crime.”

_________________
C. Oakes


The Hackney Association Ltd
bbha@btinternet.com

I bet the drivers who refuse to pick him up aren't English??

Duplicate post

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=22267

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