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Taxi wheelchair rules in North East Lincolnshire changed


Taxi drivers in North East Lincolnshire will no longer be required to buy wheelchair friendly vehicles.

The council voted to change its regulations and allow a "mixed fleet" of cabs.

It means that drivers with existing saloon cars can replace them with similar models without wheelchair access.

A local disability rights campaigner said all taxis should have wheelchair access.

The local authority said it had made the change after consulting with drivers and taxi users.

Currently there are 103 wheelchair-accessible hackney carriages in North East Lincolnshire, which make up 43% of the total.

'Best way forward'

The Labour leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, Chris Shaw, said having 43% of taxis with wheelchair access was "all the market can bear".

Mr Shaw said: "We think that by having a mixed fleet policy, that's possibly the best way forward."

Mark Bagley, of the Choices and Rights Organisation which helps disabled people in the region, said wheelchair-accessible taxis could be used by anybody.

Taxi driver Derek Grant said many owners had already bought wheelchair-adapted cabs due to the existing guidelines.

"Some of the guys have spent a lot of money on buying these wheelchair-converted vehicles, which we've had no choice in," he said.

The council also decided not to force the area's taxis to be painted the same colour.

source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-19316211

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

How many times do disabled people get out of their wheelchairs and get into a normal car??

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Lots..

Yeah a few here prefer saloons, they need their chairs but aren't totally wheelchair bound.

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

http://www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/Taxi-dri ... story.html

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

So who wins the lucky lottery and gets to operate cheaper than the others?

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http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

eventually almost all of them you can't compete round here nearly every firm now operates one or 2 8 seaters only 2 of which can on paper take wheelchairs only 1 of which does but people prefer all forward facing seats so the minibus spec ones get all the lucrative work and cost a fraction of the money to buy ! When and if I replace mine if the council policy is still the same it won't be with a WAV the economics just don't work yes I do lots of wheelchair jobs the vast majority of which are very short distance 20 minutes to do a £3 to £4 fare whilst the saloon cars are doubling that at busy times

It will be similar up there unless there are a few lucrative contracts to make the expense worthwhile which I doubt because Translinc gets most of them and Lincolnshire usually insists on tail lift vehicles

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector