Taxi Driver Online

Cheap taxis benefits to be cut back
scheme for blind, elderly and infirm had been leaving council in the red


The benefits of a cheap taxi scheme in Moray for the blind, elderly and infirm were scaled down yesterday to cut spiralling costs.

Health and social care services committee councillors agreed to reduce the benefits of Moray Council’s assisted taxi scheme.

The scheme works by offering discounted taxi journeys through a voucher-book payment system. It emerged yesterday, however, that a steady rise in the number of people being deemed eligible led to a £5,000 overspend on last year’s £40,000 budget.

The taxi system was set up in 2000 for the blind, blue badge holders and anyone in receipt of mobility allowances or supplements. Anyone referred by Moray Council’s medical adviser can also join.

The scheme’s members pay £5 a year for a book of vouchers and this book allows eight single taxi journeys a month.

Members pay half the taxi fare up to a maximum of £5 for each single journey. The number of people using the scheme has risen from 218 in 2007 to today’s membership of 262.

In their report to committee, Moray’s community transport planning officer Chris Hall and community care service manager Charles McKerron said there was no way of limiting the number of people using the scheme.

The committee followed the officers’ recommendations yesterday and cut client reimbursement from 50% to 33.3%.

This is expected to save £5,945 in the 2010-11 budget.

Councillors also agreed to increase the maximum single journey cost from £5 to £6.

The number of eligible journeys a month has also been cut from eight to six to save another £1,000 next year.

Independent Keith and Cullen councillor Stewart Cree said he recognised the scheme’s value and was reluctant to approve anything that reduced it.

Mr Cree asked for a breakdown of the criteria of people who are using the service. He added: “I would like to know how many people get this because they are registered blind and how many come in under some other catchfold, such as being approved by the medical officer”.

Officers agreed to e-mail the breakdown as soon as possible.

SNP ward councillor for Elgin City South Graham Leadbitter requested that officers research how other local authorities were managing similar discount taxi schemes.



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