Taxi Driver Online

While waiting at a red light, there was a new wheelchair accessible first bus next to me, and I noticed on its dash it had a wheelchair symbol that stated maximum safe lifting weight at 75 kilos, I wonder if this could apply to taxis as well

No.


But why ask, you WAV dodger you?

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Former taxi driver

Maybe we should ask for guidance from Health & Safety, after all every other job would have parameters to abide by, why should the taxi trade be different.

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Watch out curiosity killed the cat

Health and safety issues, if a bus driver is only allowed to lift or push 75K it should apply to anyone that has to do it.

Iv had a metro and a fx4 in the past

Is there any guidance in the WAV manual

The HASAW (health and safety at work) places onus on workers to avoid danger and risk to themselves and others

this is just like considering what happens when a loading goes wrong, most drivers are self employed, most do not carry public liability or sickness insurance, so when the chair or ramp slips, and the passenger makes a claim and the driver has hurt his back, the poo really hits the fan...

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

Is there a stamp on the ramps with maximum permissible weight

75K=165.34669663875 LB
165.34669663875 LB=11.81047833135 stone

It's quite simple really skippy if you do a risk a assessment and decide that the risk is too much then you don't load them. It's not rocket science

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

Then the passenger complains to the council what happens then

You tell them you did your risk assessment and decided the risk was too great. You just have to be sure that you do a proper risk assessment. I for instance couldn't push a chair with 20 stone person in it without probably hurting myself but I could push one with perhaps 12 stone in.

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

Providing you can prove that the risk was too great, you should be ok. A photo taken on your mobile would help as evidence.

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Grandad,

Dear Council licencing, I approached a taxi at the front of the rank to go home, and the driver refused to take me saying that they had done a risk assessment and that in not to many words I was to fat and heavy to take
I have bee using taxis for a number of years without any problems I have enclosed there plate number so you can find out why they refused to take me

If the council received a letter like that, they would have to investigate and assuming that the person was indeed to heavy for YOU to handle safely there should be no problem. Some drivers are built better for such tasks than others. If you are say 5ft tall and weigh 7 stone wet through you could have a problem pushing a person in a wheelchair up hill into your cab. However if you are 6ft 6in tall and built like a brick outhouse you may be able to carry out the job with ease.

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Grandad,

Try showing them this report.
http://www.taxi-driver.co.uk/wheelchair.pdf

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