Taxi Driver Online

When I first started in the trade a cab driver’s job was to drive the cab and adopt the laws and principles of The London Hackney Acts.

I was strong and fit in those day’s. I picked up disabled passengers, some times LITERALLY picking them up. Now as I am not so young and not so fit what is my role? Is it to do my job as outlined in the first paragraph? Is it now my role to be a Carer (trained in Caring for the disabled)?

To be a carer. as a taxi driver, I need the tool’s (vehicle and assistance ) to do the job.

What vehicle would that be and what assistance should I get. The vehicle I am allowed to go to work in is prescribed and I have to only use the prescribed vehicle. The vehicle, although it is possible to get a wheel chair in the cab, is totally inappropriate for the task of transporting wheel chair bound passengers.

I have mentioned this before but I will outline just one incident. I stopped for a disabled lady. It has to be said she was on the large size and was in a motorized wheel chair. I got the ramps out align them and stretched them to the fullest extent. The wheel chair motor wasn’t very strong to get the combined weight up the ramps. I was pushing from the rear. The cab leaned towards the curb and creaked and groaned and the passenger started to shriek. “Is it safe is it safe”. “It is going to collapse and hurt me”!! I repiled that I as I was at the rear and she would have a soft landing as she would fall onto me.

Over the years I have had injuries manhandling wheel chair passengers into the cab.

No ambulance staff would contemplate using a cab to do their work. They have vehicles with electric motor hoists etc to do their work.

The next thing is if one of these vehicles were available to me who pays for the specialist vehicle? Yes that’s right me. No government subsidy.

It has been mentioned on these lists before of a Railway Porter falling down some stairs closely following a tumbling wheel chair and disabled person who he was assisting.

Next step being sued.

So what am I a cab driver? A cab driver and disabled carer?

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Regards
Claude

Excellent question

As a cab driver you have to abide by your terms and conditions of license, the word often used in there is "reasonable", you must give passengers reasonable assistance.

Obviously, Licensing Authorities dont like pinning themselves down, so they will not usually tell you you must do anything, however, if you dont do something, and your reported, they will act!

The DDA and councils may indeed tell you to carry wheelchair bound passengers, but there are health and safety laws that will also tell you what you can and cannot do.

I did write a letter on behalf of our local TOA to our LA 6 months ago on this issue, the letter is still with the city solicitor!

regards

Captain Cab

A good post which raises many questions. There is no doubt that the role of the cab driver in the last decade and a half has been widened to incorporate the role of unpaid social worker. The cab driver takes on a greater degree of care where a wheelchair bound passenger is concerned. Therefore, he also takes on a greater degree of risk. With an able bodied passenger the driver does not have that higher duty of care or the element of risk.

If you read all the things a cab driver should do when handling wheelchair bound passengers as prescribed by DPTAC it makes you wonder if it is ever in the drivers interest to pick them up when flagged. The list of things you are expected to do is as long as my arm.

Some drivers see wheelchair bound passengers as a liability and as such they choose not to be burdened with that liability. Perhaps the role of Social worker is not one that the driver wishes to carry out.

Maybe it should be a condition that every wheelchair bound passenger should be accompanied by a qualified adult. Thus passing the onus of responsibility from the taxi driver to the qualified adult.

There is much said about the spending power of Disabled people but since 1987 when purpose built FX4 wheelchair vehicles were first built I've carried on average no more than three a year. Yet the investment out of my own pocket to accommodate these passengers has been in the thousands.

Should it be right that private owners should have to subsidise to the tune of thousands of pounds the needs of a certain section of society? Most of the owners who run saloon vehicles as hackneys have yet to experience this increase in expenditure, many though have already voiced strong opinion about subsidising the disabled and taking on the roll of social worker.

I hope licensing Authorities use a more flexible approach to the implementation of the DDA and don't insist on all vehicles being the TX2 type of vehicle. If they do it might be a good idea to ask them by how much they intend to offer you in the way of subsidy. You might also remind them that the subsidy would have to be forthcoming every time you upgrade the vehicle to meet the required council standard.

Best wishes

JD

Here's one driver who fell foul of the wrath of the wheelchair community and it will cost him six month wages. I wonder whats going through his mind right now?

http://www.carlisle.gov.uk/carlislecc/main.asp?page=694

Best wishes

JD

Really good postings,straight to the point and no fluffing issues.
I have operated Wavs for a number of years and the points mentioned valid.
Sometimes I think I am a Social Worker(who would not expect to do the things we have to do in the line of work),Carer(who now work in pairs),an Ambulance Driver(trained and with the tools for the job)a Postman/Shopper/Door Locker/Coat Taker off er/Escort etc etc.ect.
The whole concept of the wheelchair accessible driver has changed and if you do make a stand,you have no compassion,arrogant,self centred,lazy and a few other names.
It is up to us to convey to the local authorities the problems that we come across each day and to try and resolve them.
TX,s,I find are limited to the variation of chairs I convey each day.
The Doblo is excellent,but back loading and some local councils trying to stop this type of vehicle being used.E7,again side loading and a lot of handling to get the chairs in properly,plus new ramp,is quite heavy.
Again I would go for the Doblo,but back loading and if on a rank,have to find more space by coming off the rank to load.
Idea that will probably be shot down,private hire mini bus with proper ramp.
But again disabled people say that this is discrimination as they would have to phone to book and they want to flag/go to rank,when they want one,to be the same as able bodied people,which I fully understand.
But discrimination works both ways,and if I say,had a cast on my leg,I would have to plan my journeys for the next 6 weeks or so,bigger taxi/saloon car,to ensure my safe conveyance to and from my appointments,so the disabled although we all want a better service for them,will have to realise the pit falls we in the trade have regarding the Wavs costing more,dead mileage,so therefore heavier running costs.
I envisiage that the private mini bus,will have to come into the trade in larger numbers and the disabled customers must told about the health and safety aspect.

Ecellent post and quite frightening at times.