Taxi Driver Online

Press Notice

4 December 2006

DISABLED PEOPLES’ NEW TRANSPORT RIGHTS WELCOMED

Neil Betteridge, Chair of the Disabled Person’s Transport Advisory Committee, today welcomed new rights for disabled people on transport.

He said
“From today it will be illegal for transport operators to discriminate against disabled people using buses, trains, taxis, car hire and vehicle recovery services. Operators must also make reasonable adjustments to their services so that disabled people can use them. I welcome this long awaited extension of disabled people’s service rights to land based transport”

Neil added
“DPTAC also looks forward to the day that the same rights are extended to those travelling by air and by sea. There remains more to do to ensure that transport services are accessible to disabled people. Public transport has to go where disabled people need, when they need it, and to offer affordable and accessible vehicles, services and information.”

Bert Massie, Chairman of the Disability Rights Commission, welcomed the new legislation:
“This is an important legal change - having no right to be treated fairly on public transport has been a major loophole in the law. Disabled people have felt frustrated at having no legal redress to poor treatment – a common feature of calls to the Commission."

“I’m hopeful the new law will encourage disabled people to feel more confident about using public transport. For transport operators, the new legislation will mean ensuring staff provide good customer care. If they get it right for disabled people, then all their customers benefit."

“Making transport more user-friendly will open up many more work and social opportunities and help bridge the divide that many disabled people experience.”
Notes for Editors:

1. The Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) was set up under the Transport Act 1985 to advise the Government and industry on the transport needs of disabled people. The committee has a maximum of 20 members (of whom at least half must be disabled people), representing a wide range of transport interests, provides expert advice on a broad range of transport issues aimed at improving access for disabled people. Members are appointed by Ministers and are unpaid. Neil Betteridge was reappointed Chair of DPTAC in 2006.

2. Part 3 of the Disability Discrimination Act already requires that all public transport buildings such as train and bus stations and air and ferry ports must be accessible to disabled people. It also means that any services provided at these places or offered by these companies must also be accessible to disabled people, for example travel information and ticket booking services.

3. Services provided on the vehicles themselves were exempt, but the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 gave the government the power to lift the exemption. The regulations that come into force today mean that vehicle recovery services, trains, trams. buses, coaches, taxis and other cabs and hire cars must be made accessible to disabled people. This applies to the service and not to the vehicle (apart from some adaptations to hire cars). There are separate vehicle accessibility regulations for train, bus, trams and coach services and the government has announced plans to regulate taxi design.

4. The 2005 regulations do not remove the current exemption from aircraft and shipping vessels, although airline and shipping operators still have a duty to avoid discrimination against disabled people and to make reasonable adjustments for them in respect of matters such as timetables, booking facilities and waiting rooms at airports and ferry terminals.

5. The Disability Rights Commission (DRC) has published “Code of Practice: Provision and use of transport vehicles”, a guide to the new provisions, which is only available on line at http://www.drc-gb.org/library/publicati ... sport.aspx. With support from DPTAC, the DRC is also developing less formal guidance for each mode of travel.

6. To interview DPTAC members and for further information on DPTAC, contact the Secretary, Andy Kirby on 020 7944 8012 (Fax 020 7944 6998) or email: dptac@dft.gsi.gov.uk.

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

Press Notice

4 December 2006

ACCESS ADVISOR HAILS DISABILITY DUTY AS KEY TOOL TO PROMOTE INCLUSION


Government transport adviser Neil Betteridge today welcomed the disability equality duty, which comes in to force today, and the role it could have in improving transport for disabled people.

Neil Betteridge, Chair of the Disabled Person’s Transport Advisory Committee, said:
“The disability equality duty requires public bodies to plan how they will eliminate discrimination and harassment faced by disabled people, and encourage their participation. They now have to publish their plans and report on progress with them.”

“The Department for Transport, local transport authorities and transport regulators will all have to set out exactly what they plan to do, and they must consult disabled people in doing so. This will formalise the good work that many of these bodies are doing, as well as helping to drive up standards and services. ”

“This new duty to plan and to report on plans and progress, together with freedom of information legislation, offer powerful tools to hold transport authorities and regulators to account.”

Commenting on the new duty, Disability Rights Commission Chairman Bert Massie said today:
“The Disability Equality Duty will have a major impact on the lives of disabled people and will radically shift the way public authorities deliver their services."

“Public bodies – from the local library to the NHS – will have to consider what disabled people need when planning their services. This is a step-change away from individual disabled people having to complain about discrimination after an incident has taken place.”




Notes for Editors:

1. The Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) was set up under the Transport Act 1985 to advise the Government and industry on the transport needs of disabled people. The committee has a maximum of 20 members (of whom at least half must be disabled people), representing a wide range of transport interests, provides expert advice on a broad range of transport issues aimed at improving access for disabled people. Members are appointed by Ministers and are unpaid. Neil Betteridge was reappointed Chair of DPTAC in 2006.

2. The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 imposes new duties on public bodies, including transport bodies. The general duty requires that public bodies will have to have regard to the six principles of
o promoting equality of opportunity
o eliminating discrimination
o eliminating harassment
o promoting positive attitudes
o encouraging participation by disabled people and
o treating disabled people more favourably than others when this is appropriate.

3. Certain bodies must also publish and report on Disability Equality Schemes showing how they are doing this. In addition specified departments, including the Department for Transport, the First Minister for Scotland and the Welsh Assembly, must report on progress across their whole sector ever three years.

4. DPTAC was consulted on several disability equality schemes, including those from the Department for Transport, the Highways Agency, Transport for London, and the British Transport Police.

5. The Disability Rights Commission has published Codes of Practice on the new duties for Scotland and for England and Wales, as well as guidance for disabled people and their organisations which are available on line at http://www.drc-gb.org/library/publicati ... sport.aspx.

6. To interview DPTAC members and for further information on DPTAC, contact the Secretary, Andy Kirby on 020 7944 8012 (Fax 020 7944 6998) or email: dptac@dft.gsi.gov.uk.

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

I thought you'd point that bit out JD

But the my argument remains, how will a person know which cabs are working?

regards

CC

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