Cardiff Council’s Licensing Section has undertaken an exercise to ensure drivers of wheelchair accessible vehicles, are treating passengers in wheelchairs fairly and transporting them safely.
The exercise saw a Council employee in a wheelchair mystery shop a number of taxis to establish whether they had vehicle ramps and that they were used properly, how they secured the wheelchair and that they were not over charging wheelchair users.
Of the four vehicles approached for a hiring one refused to take the employee, two made an additional charge, one of which also did not correctly secure the wheelchair. Only one out of the four correctly performed his duties. The drivers will be reported for disciplinary action.
The exercise came about following an increasing number of complaints to the Licensing Section from wheelchair users claiming taxi drivers do not treat them fairly and are reluctant to accept fares. They are often refused fares, overcharged or are not secured correctly.
Since 1991 all new taxi drivers are required to undertake disability awareness training, and since January 2011 all new drivers also have to pass the new Level 2 BTEC Award in Transporting Passengers by Taxi and Private Hire, before being granted a licence. The BTEC includes a practical module on securing a wheelchair in a taxi.
Councillor Ed Bridges, Chair of the Council’s Public Protection Committee said “We expect taxi drivers to comply with the legal requirement to transport passengers in wheelchairs safely and in reasonable comfort. It is disappointing and concerning when we see any driver not living up to that expectation. The Public Protection Committee is here to protect the public – and we will take strong action against those drivers who shirk their responsibilities to assist the most vulnerable passengers.”
CEO of The Cardiff and Vale Coalition of Disabled People and Chair of the Cardiff’s Access Group, Charles Willie said: “It is vital that all hackney carriage drivers understand their duties and do not discriminate against disabled persons, we are very supportive of the action taken by the licensing authority and will be assisting in whatever way we can.”
The Licensing Section will continue to work with Cardiff Council’s Access Team to ensure that taxi drivers are up to date with knowledge, law and what is the correct treatment of people with disabilities.
Due to the disappointing level of compliance in this small operation further education initiatives and similar exercises are planned by licensing officers.
For further information on this matter please contact Cardiff’s Licensing Section on 029 20871651 or [email protected]
