Taxi Driver Online

June 8, 2007 Friday

This is Essex..the Echo

Disabled taxis plan 'well-meaning but flawed'

DISABLED people have called for the council to scrap plans to make all taxis wheelchair friendly by 2010.

At the moment, 78 of Basildon's hackney carriage taxis are ordinary saloon cars, while the other 88 are larger vehicles designed for wheelchair access.

Basildon Council has ruled all cabs must convert to wheelchair-friendly taxis by 2010. But many taxi drivers and disabled passengers who do not need wheelchairs are asking the council to reconsider as the new cabs would be less accessible for non-wheelchair users.

Dave Blackwell, chairman of the Basildon Taxi Drivers Association, said: "I know the council means well with this, but they will be making life more difficult for most disabled people.

"The wheelchair-friendly taxis are a lot higher off the ground.

"We find a lot of elderly people or people with, say, dodgy knees or a bad back refuse to use them, because they struggle to get in and out.

"We want the council to come down to the ranks and do a survey, to find out what customers want."

Lily Roseman, 82, of Downs Grove, Vange, who has had hip and knee replacements, warned she would be left housebound if "normal" taxis were scrapped. She said: "I'd refuse to use the big ones, it's as simple as that.

"I'd have to be helped in every time by a driver which is humiliating."

Diane Brown, 62, of Gaynesford, Basildon, said: "We don't like the new taxis. They're no good for people with knee problems like me.

"People should be left to choose what sort of taxis they want to catch."

The council was unable to comment.
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Being giving asisstance is humiliating?

F*** me I must humiliate most of my punters then.

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IDFIMH

Have you been in Tigers wardrobe again Sussex

JD send them a copy of CEMT.ORG that will put the cat amongst the pigeons

Thus drivers should be able to choose whether to run a saloon or WAV?

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