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PostPosted: Thu Jun 15, 2017 6:31 am 
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https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/aberdeen/1265951/council-bosses-defend-controversial-taxi-policy-on-eve-of-crunch-vote/

Councillors meet today to decide whether to push ahead with implementing the drive, first agreed in 1994, to make all Granite City cabs wheelchair accessible.

But the ruling has long provoked anger, with taxi drivers arguing they have to shell out thousands on the new vehicles – despite many disabled customers being unable to use them.

New legal advice from the UK government has also revealed that there is “no mandatory requirement” for the rule from a legal standpoint.

The opposition SNP group have indicated they will try to throw out the rule today.

But council officers have recommended the authority push ahead, with fears raised that disabled groups and drivers who have bought new cars could pursue legal action if there is a u-turn now.

A council spokeswoman said:”Currently 54% of Aberdeen’s taxi fleet are accessible vehicles.

“In 2012 Aberdeen City Council’s Licencing Committee set out a policy of a gradual progression towards a 100% accessible vehicle taxi fleet and settled on a date of June 2017 by which the exemption would no longer apply and all vehicles required to be wheelchair accessible. This date was amended to June 2018 by Full Council in May 2016. Operators have been given considerable advance notice.

“It is the view of officers that the policy remains the best method of ensuring the council complies with its obligations. It is important to note that the policy refers to the taxi fleet only, and not to private hire vehicles.

“The intention behind the policy however is that any person should be able to access any vehicle in a taxi queue or hailed on the street.”

Stephen Flynn, SNP leader, said: “As someone with mobility issues, I know that a lot of people struggle to access these supposedly accessible vehicles.

“Equality means we need to meet the needs of everyone and we will seek to get the council to look again at this policy.”

Tommy Campbell, north-east regional representative for the Unite union which represents many drivers, called the councillors to develop a “common sense approach” to the ruling.

He said: “The councillors should apply a healthy dose of common sense, I would call on them to finally abandon this policy for good.”

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PostPosted: Fri Jun 16, 2017 8:46 pm 
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Shock horror, the council deferred a decision and requested another report. ](*,)

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/ne ... ccessible/

I mean it was only 23 years ago they made the initial decision. ](*,)

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PostPosted: Mon Jun 19, 2017 4:57 pm 
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Good news for taxi and ph. drivers in aberdeen the GMB TAXI section is coming to aberdeen soon. =D> =D> =D>


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PostPosted: Mon Jun 19, 2017 6:58 pm 
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GMB Dundee taxi sec. wrote:
Good news for taxi and ph. drivers in aberdeen the GMB TAXI section is coming to aberdeen soon. =D> =D> =D>



Judging by the press reports from there over the last 10 years that should muddy the situation nicely

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PostPosted: Wed Sep 06, 2017 9:33 pm 
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Sussex wrote:
Shock horror, the council deferred a decision and requested another report. ](*,)

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/ne ... ccessible/

I mean it was only 23 years ago they made the initial decision. ](*,)

Shock horror the new report says exactly the same as the old report.

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/ne ... ssibility/

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PostPosted: Wed Sep 06, 2017 9:45 pm 
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Unite Union regional organiser Tommy Campbell said: “We think a mixed fleet is the sensible way forward, and we will stand up to put forward that case again next Tuesday.

Great idea as long as your not one of the poor sods that has to buy a WAV, whilst the fella in front of you on the rank need only buy a saloon. :sad:

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PostPosted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 7:12 pm 
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Sussex wrote:
Quote:
Unite Union regional organiser Tommy Campbell said: “We think a mixed fleet is the sensible way forward, and we will stand up to put forward that case again next Tuesday.

Great idea as long as your not one of the poor sods that has to buy a WAV, whilst the fella in front of you on the rank need only buy a saloon. :sad:



Wonder how they would choose who would have to put on a wav, and who would not.

Maybe a wav only rank like Carlisle used to have.

I'm sure a judge who knows what the job of judging was about would rip it up and start again.

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PostPosted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 7:58 pm 
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jimbo wrote:
Maybe a wav only rank like Carlisle used to have.



As soon as that policy ended the council was forced to stop licensing saloon hackneys because WAV owners got rid of their cabs for saloons.

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PostPosted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 8:29 pm 
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jimbo wrote:
Wonder how they would choose who would have to put on a wav, and who would not.

In my view they shouldn't.

All drivers should be free to choose to have a saloon, or none of them should.

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PostPosted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 8:59 pm 
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Sussex wrote:
jimbo wrote:
Wonder how they would choose who would have to put on a wav, and who would not.

In my view they shouldn't.

All drivers should be free to choose to have a saloon, or none of them should.
Just like in Sefton.

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PostPosted: Fri Sep 08, 2017 5:29 am 
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jimbo wrote:

Wonder how they would choose who would have to put on a wav, and who would not.



Both Aberdeen and Dundee had capped saloon fleets, but as far as I know both cities uncapped on the basis of WAVs for new issue plates - voila, you have a mixed fleet, and the council doesn't actually have to choose who runs the saloons and who runs the WAVs.

By the looks of the article Unite must be representing the saloons in Aberdeen, because they're supporting the mixed fleet. Who'd have thunk it?

So there's a Wheelchair Access Group representing WAV drivers and promoting 100% WAVs, surprise surprise.

Dundee is a carbon copy more or less, but I think the council has settled for a mixed fleet, and the latest thing is electric vehicles, so there will be three classes of plate.


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PostPosted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 9:13 am 
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Shock horror Councillors ask for another report.

https://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/fp/new ... xi-policy/

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PostPosted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 7:00 pm 
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Licensed Taxis picking up street hails should be accessible to all regardless, only by a medical exemption should a driver be exempt from doing a W/CH JOB, the vehicle should not be exempt, 100% WAV works great in Edinburgh.

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PostPosted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 9:11 pm 
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"Officers argued the change is necessary to meet the public sector equality duty demanded by legislation"

Where does it say that all Hacks must be WAVs in the Equality Legislation?


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PostPosted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 10:42 pm 
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bloodnock wrote:
"Officers argued the change is necessary to meet the public sector equality duty demanded by legislation"

Where does it say that all Hacks must be WAVs in the Equality Legislation?


Could be wrong (and can't be bothered looking it up) but I think the officers might be arguing from the perspective of drivers for a change, rather than the customers.

Of course, the inequality here is self-evident, as demonstrated by those complaining that it would cost a fortune to convert from a saloon to WAV - the WAV owners aren't given a choice in the matter.

And in view of the number of Mercs and Audis in Aberdeen, I suspect they'd be better off running a WAV, particularly in view of the Doblos (or similar) in the photo (although presumably it's old).

To be fair, though, Aberdeen has lost tens of thousands of jobs in recent years because of the oil price slump, so no doubt they're feeling the pinch, but that still leaves open the question of why *some* should be *forced* to run WAVs.


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