Taxi Driver Online

Cabbie refused to take disabled woman home

Oct 5 2010

A Teeside taxi driver has been fined after he refused to take a 24- year-old woman in a wheelchair home - even though his vehicle was wheelchair accessible.

Rafiq Latif, of Cambridge Road, Middlesbrough, was working in his hackney carriage taxi in Corporation Road in the town on the night of Friday, February 5 ,this year.

A woman in a wheelchair went up to his taxi and asked to be taken home. However he refused saying his ramps were broken.

He told the woman the only way he would take her home is if she could get out of the wheelchair.

The passenger was left shocked and upset by the refusal and reported the matter to Middlesbrough Council’s licensing section after taking his number.

A full investigation was made by the council and legal proceedings were brought against Latif for refusing to carry a passenger without a reasonable excuse.

He appeared before Teesside magistrates and pleaded not guilty to the offence.

However after a trial he was found guilty and convicted.

He was fined £250, ordered to pay £250 costs to the council and had to pay a £15 victim surcharge.

Councillor Julia Rostron, Middlesbrough Council’s Executive member for community protection, said: “The refusal to carry the passenger in this case was disgraceful and reprehensible.”

She added: “This prosecuting should serve as a warning that such conduct will not be tolerated.”

Pat Davies, of the Middlesbrough Physical Disabilities Reference Group, said: “This is wonderful news. Disabled people often have problems with the service we receive on transport and this is a positive way forward."

“Well done to Middlesbrough Council for pursuing the matter and let’s hope it sends out a clear message that we will not tolerate this form of discrimination.”

A spokesman for the Middlesbrough Hackney Carriage Association, said: “Firstly we would like to apologise on behalf of the taxi trade to the lady in question."

“Conduct like this gives the trade a bad name."

“The vast majority of our members pride themselves on assisting all passengers and many drivers have regular customers who are wheelchair users because of the high standard of service they provide. Thankfully incidents like this are rare.”

Source; http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teess ... 7404393/2/

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

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Can one assume that the investigation proved that the ramps weren't broken?

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

I think it was an excuse because he was bone and couldn't be arsed to get out of his cab. IMO he should have been fined £1,000 and stripped of his badge for 1 month.

It does not matter if the ramps were indeed broken. If the ramps are broken the vehicle is not fit for use.

You beat me to that one. If you drive a wheelchair accessable vehicle it seem right that it must be wheelchair accessable.

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Grandad,

Typical hack................lol

I understand what you are saying but what if the ramps can't be repaired immediately? Is a driver expected to remain at home until they can be repaired?



A fine and a ban What makes having a broken ramp more serious than over ranking?

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

Yes!

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Grandad,

Yes.

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IDFIMH

There are a number of vehicles round here who allegedly are wheelchair access but ask them to cover a town job and they will always deny it but if one of the nursing homes wants a longer job worth £15 or £20 they are able to do wheelchairs then !!

This sounds like a similar thing I bet if the fare had been a nice big one his ramps would have worked just fine !

Well personally I think that's a tad harsh. If a driver discovers in the morning that his ramp is broken but can't get it booked in for repair, through no fault of his own, for a week then he loses his ability to pick up none wheelchair customers or earn a living. I'm not condoning what this driver did but in genuine cases it's like being punished twice

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

We all have conditions of license, or by-laws.

What other condition of license, or by-law, would you say we should only adhere too when it suits us?

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IDFIMH

Are you sugesting that the ramps would have been fine when he parked up one night but somehow the ramp fairy broke them?

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Grandad,

If you have a wheel missing because someone nicked it and left it on bricks, through no fault of your own, you are off the road until you get it fixed even if you can't get a wheel straight away. Same with the ramps.

If you are required by LA vehicle conditions to be WAV, even if you are medically exempt from assisting with wheelchairs you must have the equipment needed, ramps, wheelchair restraints and anything else required. If the passenger has a carer accompanying they may wish to use the kit (though I admit this never happens.

Of course the joke is in Manors where you can only get if you put a WAV up for plating, you can still get a medical exemption even before you apply for the plate.

So, on this one Toots, I have to say that I do not think it harsh at all.

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Chris The Fish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdlyi5mc ... re=related

The Corpy wouldn't send a double-decker bus out if the ticket machine was knackered, so why take a WAV out if the wheelchair ramps are knackered?

_________________
Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.