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Disability group targets cabbies and buses
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Author:  Brummie Cabbie [ Thu Jul 07, 2011 6:55 am ]
Post subject:  Disability group targets cabbies and buses
Disability group targets cabbies

July 7 2011

The treatment of the disabled by some bus drivers and private taxi firms will be highlighted at Westminster by a campaign group.

They will tell MPs how disabled passengers have been left stranded at bus stops or refused entry to buses.

The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign's Trailblazers group will also speak of how disabled people are repeatedly ignored by taxi drivers or have been charged double the usual fare.

One of the group, Judith Merry, 22, a wheelchair user from Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, was left stranded at a bus stop late at night in a quiet part of London.

She and her mother attempted to board a bus, but after Ms Merry's mother got on, the driver pulled away instead of putting down the bus's ramp, claiming not to have seen her.

Trailblazers also spoke of disabled people being sworn at by cabbies.

Trailblazers project manager Bobby Ancil said: "Disabled people have the same need to use buses and taxis as non-disabled people - to get to work, to get to appointments and to socialise with friends and family.

"Unfortunately, our public transport system and taxi companies have not moved forward enough to offer a basic service and fair standards to disabled passengers.

"Be it physical access or the attitudes of business owners and drivers, disabled travellers are facing obstacles daily that should have been left way back in the past."

Source; http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-ne ... -29010117/
Author:  Brummie Cabbie [ Thu Jul 07, 2011 7:05 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Disability group targets cabbies and buses
Quote:
The treatment of the disabled by some bus drivers and private taxi firms will be highlighted at Westminster by a campaign group.

The government made an enormous mistake by removing at the very last minute, the section in the Equality Bill that would have made Private Hire Vehicles wheelchair-accessible.
That effectively said to disabled people that the Private Hire transport network need not be equiped by law to carry passengers travelling in wheelchair.

What a cock-up!!
Author:  captain cab [ Thu Jul 07, 2011 12:29 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Disability group targets cabbies and buses
Brummie Cabbie wrote:

One of the group, Judith Merry, 22, a wheelchair user from Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, was left stranded at a bus stop late at night in a quiet part of London.

She and her mother attempted to board a bus, but after Ms Merry's mother got on, the driver pulled away instead of putting down the bus's ramp, claiming not to have seen her.


she doesn't sound very merry.

CC
Author:  edders23 [ Thu Jul 07, 2011 2:13 pm ]
Post subject: 
well our council has made it very clear that they are NOT getting cpmplaints so they are not going to do anything to encourage WAV's i.e. any old tom dick or mohammed can go and buy a battered old transit plate it and compete for the lucrative 8 seater work by undercutting the people who have invested lots of money in WAV's I wonder what would happen if they suddenly got these protest groups turning up round here ?
Author:  gusmac [ Thu Jul 07, 2011 2:32 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Disability group targets cabbies and buses
Brummie Cabbie wrote:
Quote:
The treatment of the disabled by some bus drivers and private taxi firms will be highlighted at Westminster by a campaign group.

The government made an enormous mistake by removing at the very last minute, the section in the Equality Bill that would have made Private Hire Vehicles wheelchair-accessible.
That effectively said to disabled people that the Private Hire transport network need not be equiped by law to carry passengers travelling in wheelchair.

What a cock-up!!


I think you will find this was down to the actions of some large vested interests greasing the wheels of democracy. :roll:
Author:  tom2907 [ Thu Jul 07, 2011 5:29 pm ]
Post subject: 
It is no coincidence this story breaks some 12 days before the Commons Select Committee's report. Expect more of it this week.
Author:  skippy41 [ Thu Jul 07, 2011 6:01 pm ]
Post subject: 
tom2907 wrote:
It is no coincidence this story breaks some 12 days before the Commons Select Committee's report. Expect more of it this week.


Have the committee given a date yet???
Author:  captain cab [ Thu Jul 07, 2011 7:58 pm ]
Post subject: 
A BBC report of the same story.....I highlight in bold a little bit of fiction


Disability travel concerns raised with MPs


Disabled people stage cuts demo

Poor treatment of disabled people by bus drivers and private taxi firms has been highlighted at a meeting with MPs.

Members of the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign's Trailblazers group met with the panel of MPs at Westminster.

They discussed disabled passengers' claims to have been stranded at bus stops and ignored by cab drivers.

Trailblazers project manager Bobby Ancil said: "I think it was important that MPs and transport providers heard our concerns."

"The meeting went well. We hope that bus and taxi companies will continue to work with us to improve things on an ongoing basis."

Darryl Cox, from the London Cab Drivers' Club, said no disabled passenger should have a problem with the capital's black taxis, which faced tougher regulations than private minicabs.

Fair standards

Trailblazers is a group for young disabled people which fights social injustices experienced by those with muscle disease.

One member of the group - Judith Merry, 22, a wheelchair user from Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire - was left stranded at a bus stop late at night in a quiet part of London.

She and her mother had tried to get on a bus but after Ms Merry's mother boarded, but the driver pulled away instead of putting down the bus's ramp, claiming not to have seen her.

This case has been investigated by the bus operating company, which has apologised to Ms Merry and reprimanded the driver.

Mr Ancil said: "Disabled people have the same need to use buses and taxis as non-disabled people, to get to work, to get to appointments and to socialise with friends and family.

"Unfortunately, our public transport system and taxi companies have not moved forward enough to offer a basic service and fair standards to disabled passengers."

But Mr Cox said London's black cabs provided "the only taxi service in the whole of the western world that is wheelchair-accessible".

"It was an EU directive, but I travel quite extensively throughout Europe and I've never seen a wheelchair-accessible cab anywhere else.

"I really think he's barking up the wrong tree with us."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-14063803
Author:  Sussex [ Thu Jul 07, 2011 8:15 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Disability group targets cabbies and buses
Brummie Cabbie wrote:
The government made an enormous mistake by removing at the very last minute, the section in the Equality Bill that would have made Private Hire Vehicles wheelchair-accessible.

Is that really what they did? :?

The Act doesn't make it compulsory to have a 100% hackney fleet, so why would it insist on a 100% PH fleet? :?
Author:  captain cab [ Thu Jul 07, 2011 8:16 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Disability group targets cabbies and buses
Sussex wrote:
Brummie Cabbie wrote:
The government made an enormous mistake by removing at the very last minute, the section in the Equality Bill that would have made Private Hire Vehicles wheelchair-accessible.

Is that really what they did? :?

The Act doesn't make it compulsory to have a 100% hackney fleet, so why would it insist on a 100% PH fleet? :?


The bill said something

CC
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