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Costs force Norwich firm to cease WAV service after 18 years
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Author:  StuartW [ Sat Aug 11, 2018 7:07 am ]
Post subject:  Costs force Norwich firm to cease WAV service after 18 years
Norwich taxi firm calls for government support after closing exclusive wheelchair service after 18 years

http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/norwich-tax ... -1-5646944

The owner of a Norfolk taxi firm has called on the government for support having been forced to close their exclusive service for wheelchair users, which had served the community for 18 years.

Enterprise Taxis, based in Drayton, had previously been one of the only providers of wheelchair adapted minibuses in Norfolk, but have had to finish the amenity due to crippling financial pressures.

Owner of Enterprise Taxis John Walker said: “It genuinely angers and upsets me that we’ve had to end this service. I was in a wheelchair myself for four years after a nasty accident, so I entirely understand the frustrations around being a wheelchair user.”

The specially adapted minibuses cost £40,000 to buy, and £700 a month to run.

Mr Walker, 45, said: “If the government subsidised the minibuses I would buy as many as I could afford. But their monthly running cost is so high and I can’t charge my drivers anywhere near that to rent them.

“I’ve written to Chris Grayling many times in the last few years about the issue, but he only responds directly to his constituents. It just makes you feel like the transport department doesn’t care about the wheelchair community. I e-mailed him this week and just said: ‘You’ve done it, you’ve finished it.’”

The firm will still be offering a full service to wheelchair users, but will no longer have vehicles which can load passengers still in their chairs into the vehicle via a ramp.

Mr Walker, said: “On the one hand I want to continue serving this community but on the other I have a reputation to uphold. I’d feel even worse if we had passengers stuck in vehicles because they’re old and have broken down.

“These vehicles look the same on the outside year on year, but have had four engines replaced and gone through three gearboxes.”

He continued: “We used to have 11 specific wheelchair minibuses but now we only have three. One of them broke down on the way back from taking a lady to Sheffield, and my driver was stuck on the M62 for 24 hours.”

Mr Walker continued: “They also have to have two checks on their ramps every year, they are less fuel efficient because of the weight. I just can’t afford to keep them.”

A spokesman for the Department for Transport said: DfT spokesperson said: “Disabled passengers must have the same opportunities to travel as everyone else, and it is essential that the services they rely on are accessible and work for them. We recognise the important role played by taxis and private hire vehicles in helping disabled people to remain independent.

“Councils are ultimately responsible for the service in their area and they should ensure that sufficient wheelchair accessible vehicles are available to meet the demand from passengers.

“As part of our Inclusive Transport Strategy, we will be consulting on updating the best practice guidance for licensing authorities, including on how to support an inclusive and accessible taxi service.”
Author:  grandad [ Sat Aug 11, 2018 8:15 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Costs force Norwich firm to cease WAV service after 18 y
StuartW wrote:
I’d feel even worse if we had passengers stuck in vehicles because they’re old and have broken down.


Is that the passengers?
Author:  edders23 [ Sat Aug 11, 2018 1:07 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Costs force Norwich firm to cease WAV service after 18 y
I gave it up after 15 years because I couldn't compete with community transport groups

it is a huge amount of money to fork out for one and if you are the only one you can't pick up off the rank; Airport work is tricky as people don't want to face backwards and most nursing homes have their own transport and only want you to cover the short half mile trips from nursing home to doctors or hospital

They are not financially viable unless your council has a 100 percent wav policy and high fares to cover the cost
Author:  sasha [ Sat Aug 11, 2018 6:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Costs force Norwich firm to cease WAV service after 18 y
Do they only carry wheelchairs or can anyone use them ? I'd say they do MORE work than normal cabs - the standard fares plus the disabled ones that others cant do.
And why £700 a month to run ? That's what my standard saloon costs in rent, insurance and fuel., do they mean an extra £700 due to the cost of buying the vehicle (no more than a black cab and they manage).
Author:  edders23 [ Sat Aug 11, 2018 7:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Costs force Norwich firm to cease WAV service after 18 y
sasha wrote:
Do they only carry wheelchairs or can anyone use them ? I'd say they do MORE work than normal cabs - the standard fares plus the disabled ones that others cant do.
And why £700 a month to run ? That's what my standard saloon costs in rent, insurance and fuel., do they mean an extra £700 due to the cost of buying the vehicle (no more than a black cab and they manage).



A wav sat on a rank surrounded by saloon car Hackneys has no chance my record was 1 and half hours whilst 27 people walked past me and got in the saloon car behind then i got a £2.50 fare only because the saloon car behind didn't want to take it and insisted they get in with me. We also used to get a lot of people on the phone specifying NOT the WAV

people will only use a wav if they have no choice I certainly used to get much less work not more
Author:  roythebus [ Sat Aug 11, 2018 11:21 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Costs force Norwich firm to cease WAV service after 18 y
"The government" haven't yet sussed that the run-of-the-mill non-disabled punter doesn't always want to travel in a WAV. Similarly they don't want to travel in a London style cab maybe because they may not like the easy-to-clean floors, no carpets, the image of slightly less luxury than a saloon car?

I can understand the OP's point about being put out by CT groups who get vast amounts of money from various sources for their WAV/minibuses, but all that is set to end. Maybe the OP would be better off investing in London style cabs and widening his client base?
Author:  edders23 [ Sun Aug 12, 2018 7:42 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Costs force Norwich firm to cease WAV service after 18 y
roythebus wrote:
"The government" haven't yet sussed that the run-of-the-mill non-disabled punter doesn't always want to travel in a WAV. Similarly they don't want to travel in a London style cab maybe because they may not like the easy-to-clean floors, no carpets, the image of slightly less luxury than a saloon car?

I can understand the OP's point about being put out by CT groups who get vast amounts of money from various sources for their WAV/minibuses, but all that is set to end. Maybe the OP would be better off investing in London style cabs and widening his client base?



Our local CT scheme is run by a local church using volunteer drivers and the vehicles were bought for them by the local lions club including a rear loading ford chairman which is used to do all the wheelchair work

people don't like wav's because they are larger than a saloon car and have heavy sliding doors as opposed to easy to open car doors and you have to climb in and out as opposed to jump into the seat nothing to do with lack of carpets. To the average able bodied punter they are an alien vehicle type which they would never have for a private car in a million years. I used to find some wheelchair users would ask for a saloon car and NOT the wav because it made them feel like a disabled person

Taxi users prefer something familiar
Author:  StuartW [ Sun Aug 12, 2018 8:21 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Costs force Norwich firm to cease WAV service after 18 y
edders23 wrote:
i got a £2.50 fare only because the saloon car behind didn't want to take it and insisted they get in with me.


Hope you reported him for refusing a fare without good reason :badgrin:
Author:  edders23 [ Mon Aug 13, 2018 6:39 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Costs force Norwich firm to cease WAV service after 18 y
StuartW wrote:
edders23 wrote:
i got a £2.50 fare only because the saloon car behind didn't want to take it and insisted they get in with me.


Hope you reported him for refusing a fare without good reason :badgrin:


can't our council has a policy of NOT investigating complaints from one taxi driver against another only complaints from the general public accepted
Author:  grandad [ Mon Aug 13, 2018 8:35 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Costs force Norwich firm to cease WAV service after 18 y
sasha wrote:
Do they only carry wheelchairs or can anyone use them ? I'd say they do MORE work than normal cabs - the standard fares plus the disabled ones that others cant do.
And why £700 a month to run ? That's what my standard saloon costs in rent, insurance and fuel., do they mean an extra £700 due to the cost of buying the vehicle (no more than a black cab and they manage).

That depends on the type of wav. The one we had wouldnormally have been a 16 passenger minibus but it was fitted out so that it had either 8 passenger seats or 7 passenger seats and a wheelchair.
It had a high roof and side steps for easy access and a rear tail lift that could accomodate either a walking passenger who couldn't manage the steps or any size wheelchair you like. Over the 3 years that we had the vehicle we had no more than 5 different wheelchair users and it was to big for most other jobs. If it wasn't for the school run that we used it for it would have cost us a fortune.
Author:  Sussex [ Mon Aug 13, 2018 9:20 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Costs force Norwich firm to cease WAV service after 18 y
edders23 wrote:
can't our council has a policy of NOT investigating complaints from one taxi driver against another only complaints from the general public accepted

Akin to the police and council in Rotherham. :sad: :sad: :sad:
Author:  x-ray [ Tue Aug 14, 2018 8:31 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Costs force Norwich firm to cease WAV service after 18 y
Stuck on the M62 for 24hrs ? Can’t believe the police/highways would allow it. I’d be looking at arranging a better breakdown service either way.
Author:  grandad [ Tue Aug 14, 2018 9:08 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Costs force Norwich firm to cease WAV service after 18 y
x-ray wrote:
Stuck on the M62 for 24hrs ? Can’t believe the police/highways would allow it. I’d be looking at arranging a better breakdown service either way.

What he probably means is that the broken down vehicle was taken to the nearest service area and it was stuck there for 24 hoirs. If so I hope he paid for the parking.
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