Taxi Driver Online

Ruth Madeley: Actress says taxi driver took her wheelchair away

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-57838553

Actress Ruth Madeley has revealed a taxi driver took her wheelchair away following an argument after refusing to drive her to an accessible entrance.

Posting about the incident at London's Euston train station last month, Bafta-nominated Madeley said the driver believed that because he'd seen her stand, he "knew [she] could walk".

She added the driver then demanded an extra fee and took her wheelchair away.

Transport for London has apologised for the "utterly appalling" incident.

Graham Robinson, TfL's general manager for taxi and private hire, said: "We have contacted Ruth for more details so we can carry out a full and urgent investigation."

The British actress, who was nominated for a Bafta for her breakthrough role in the BBC's Don't Take My Baby before starring in 2019's Years and Years, wrote on Instagram: "When I told [the driver] that I can't manage stairs, he proceeded to tell me that it was my problem not his.

"As if this wasn't traumatic enough, he demanded his fare even though the journey had been prepaid."

She continued: "When I tried explaining this on the street, he became very agitated &, in sheer frustration, he took my wheelchair from behind me without warning & carried it away to put in the boot of his taxi, leaving me on the side of the road."

The actress's mother, who was travelling with her, managed to recover the wheelchair, although the driver "tried his best to stop her", Madeley said.

Taxis and designated wheelchair-accessible private hire vehicles have a legal duty to carry wheelchair users in accordance with the Equality Act 2010. This includes a duty to provide mobility assistance without additional charge.

Madeley said that when she tried to report the incident to the Metropolitan Police, she was told it was not a hate crime and that no criminal act had taken place.

She added: "I was shut down and made to feel as though I was making a fuss over nothing.

"After more fighting & asking for support, the police told me that nothing can be done. No warning to the taxi driver or the firm, no accountability, no consequences…"

A Met spokesperson confirmed to the BBC that, while appreciating the upset caused, the force would not investigate because the incident is "not a criminal matter".

The incident took place on the day that it was announced Madeley is to star in BBC Two's forthcoming factual drama Independence Day? How Disabled Rights Were Won.

Marking the passing of the Disability Discrimination Act, the film is based on the true story of the people behind a campaign of direct action that lead to significant steps forward in the battle for disabled civil rights in Britain.

Madeley said her experience reflected the discrimination experienced by disabled people "every single day" and was "clear proof that the fight for disability rights is far from over".

sounds like she was being a bit argumentative with the driver maybe to the point of abusive ?

or her career isn't going so well so she needed publicity

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Taxis Are Public Transport too

Join the campaign to get April fools jokes banned for 364 days a year !

Think this must have been a private hire saloon vehicle, have London TAXIS have a boot to put luggage or wheelchairs in?

Definitely was a private hire vehicle, people should stop using the word TAXI when it is not a licensed hackney carriage, private hire operators should be prosecuted if the claim to be a TAXI service.

Many taxi drivers discriminate against wheelchair users
by Amanda Hanson, Nottingham Trent University

https://phys.org/news/2021-07-taxi-driv ... users.html

We live in a society where disabled people routinely suffer identity-based discrimination resulting in them being made to feel unequal.

The recent article published by the BBC on the experience of disabled actress Ruth Madeley by a taxi driver, where he told her it was "too difficult" to drop her at an accessible entrance and it wasn't his problem if she couldn't use stairs, highlights just one example of disablist attitudes by transport providers.

This concurs to my current research where a severely visually impaired woman was dropped at the side of a busy road by a taxi driver, for which she then had to struggle to get across to the other side safely.

This kind of behavior by taxi drivers is more widespread within society than people may think. While many taxi drivers don't discriminate or have disablist attitudes some do.

My research has found that wheelchairs users are being told by taxi operators there are no accessible taxis available and that taxi drivers themselves are refusing to take those in powered wheelchairs.

One individual stated, "I approached five taxis who all refused to take me home when my power wheelchair was about to die."

If they do finally manage to access a taxi, they are being charged higher rates compared to those who are able-bodied.

These extra charges have previously been highlighted in an undercover study carried out by BBC's Inside Out in 2015. There has also been one landmark case where a taxi driver was taken to court after refusing to take a wheelchair user to the train station and causing her to become upset and missing her train.

Yet, six years on cases like this are still occurring and there seems to be a lack of consequence for the taxi drivers who are committing these discriminatory acts.

This is a clear breach of the Equality Act 2010 sect 165 & 167 which includes a requirement for drivers to accept and assist wheelchair users and make no extra charge. As a society, we should be calling out behavior that treats people unequally and unfairly as unacceptable. Local authorities should be implementing license bans for those committing this kind of behavior, as this targeting of wheelchair users should be deemed prejudicial.

Many wheelchair users rely on taxis rather than public transport, they are more convenient, and they are preferable especially when considering the negative often hostile attitudes that disabled people regularly experience from other passengers and public transport staff.

Disabled people often suffer isolation due to their disability which prevents them from fully taking part in society. Last year marked the celebration of 25 years since the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. While this legislation was a step in the right direction, one of those being the recognition of the lack of access to transport for disabled individuals, these access issues are still happening in the 21st century and this is a clear reminder that more needs to be done.

Similarly, numerous studies highlight that disabled people face economic disadvantages and are more likely to be living in poverty compared to those who are able-bodied. These higher charges are impacting upon them financially. Therefore, this discriminatory behavior from taxi drivers serves to compound the existing problems that disabled people have faced for years.

The key focus requires taking a stand against attitudes that reinforce disablism. Public organizations like local authority licensing departments need to develop public communications and implement awareness-raising to challenge these discriminatory mindsets and practices, to help safeguard wheelchair users and implement consequences for those who continue to exhibit discriminatory and disablist attitudes.

The implementation of these kinds of strategies would be a step in the right direction to address the extent of this issue, to allow wheelchair users to regain their independence within society.

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IDFIMH

Your research no doubt confirmed there is no legal requirement for operators to have accessible taxis, although some councils do try to get around that by having a % quota of WAVs, and your research should have shown you that there are umpteen kinds of powered wheelchairs, many of which are far too big and weighty to load into the vast majority of WAVs.

It's worth remembering that taxi drivers have backs too.

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IDFIMH