Taxi Driver Online

Coventry taxi driver has licence revoked for failure to secure disabled passenger

https://coventryobserver.co.uk/news/cov ... passenger/

A COVENTRY taxi driver has had his licence revoked with immediate effect for failing to properly secure a disabled passenger in his cab on two separate occasions.

The hackney cab driver did not use restraining straps to secure the wheelchair and the passenger in the correct position.

He then failed to admit these failures to Coventry City Council enforcement officers when subsequently interviewed under caution.

Details of the two incidents have been heard by the Council’s Licensing and Regulatory Committee which took the decision to withdraw the driver’s licence.

The committee felt the driver had tried to pass the burden of responsibility onto the complainant stating it was the passenger who had requested not to be strapped in, the council says.

A Coventry council spokesperson said: “Members were unanimous in the decision to revoke the licence and wanted to send a clear message to Coventry taxi drivers that transporting any passenger in a dangerous manner would not be tolerated.

“All hackney cab drivers are trained in how to place wheelchair passengers into a vehicle.

“But the driver accepted at the hearing that he had not followed the correct procedure.

“He had loaded the passenger and wheelchair sideways into the vehicle and then stretched restraining belts over the legs of the complainant.”

In hackney cabs, a wheelchair must be turned to face the rear of the vehicle and secured using straps and the seatbelt within the vehicle.

During the hearing, the Licensing and Regulatory Committee also warned Private Hire Operators need to review procedures in relation to disabled passengers.

They also want to see a robust complaints procedure in place, as a lack of one may lead to a review of their licence.

Andrew Walster, director, Streetscene and Regulatory Services at Coventry council, believes the committee has sent a clear warning to all taxi drivers.

He said: “Members are unanimous that the council wants to ensure that all taxis operating in our city are accessible to all members of the public and that they are carried in a safe and proper manner.

“There are further enforcement operations planned in the future to ensure compliance by all our taxi operators.

“It would be clear discrimination should taxi operators decline to take wheelchair users based upon their disability.

“If reports of any refusals are received then the driver leaves themselves open to a licence review.”

really I never had any training at all in the 15 years I had a WAV but it's not exactly rocket science

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So what’s the answer when you have an electric wheelchair that’s too big to turn around inside the cab to put the straps on ? I had one Friday night, the cab in front tried to fit it in but because it was so tall if the guy reclined it, it would fit in but you couldn’t turn it. He was a young guy (early 20’s) who had been paralysed after an RTC. I managed to fit him in and took him. I know my insurance would have been void if I had had an accident but my conscience wouldn’t allow me to just leave him there..

If they don't fit, they don't fit, nothing will happen if you refuse, cabs are not designed to take most electric wheelchairs, only a standard push along sit in ones

Bigger fool you.
How far was the passenger going? What is the range of the electric wheelchair?
I picked up a passenger a couple of weeks ago who usually uses a mobility scooter but it had a fault. She told me she usually uses it to get into town instead of the bus or a taxi. It is nearly 4 miles and hilly.

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Grandad,
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As a rule, I don’t take them. I’ve refused plenty of them from my time on a radio system from nursing homes etc, telling them they need a vehicle with a tail-lift. This guy was a visitor to our city and was visiting friends for a surprise, the first time he’d been out on his own since the accident. I told him what the issue was regarding his chair and why most drivers would refuse it. ( indeed, if I see him again at the station I won’t take him again since he is now aware of the issue.)

As for being a fool, that’s as may be.

In the past I have been daft enough to take them sideways when they insisted or we're too big but now with experience I will insist on doing it correctly.its not worth the risk

I think there is a lot of pressure on drivers to take WAV punters when maybe they should have declined the job.

But leaving a disabled fella in the pi**ing hard rain late at night is not something I would do, and I fully understand drivers doing that job when perhaps they shouldn't have.

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IDFIMH

You could ask them if they could transfer to the back seat, and put a seatbelt on, leaving the buggy sideways