wheelchair accessible taxis

Darrenf1969

I am a wheelchair user and since the covid pandemic I have been finding it difficult to get a taxi, although I am in a wheelchair I have no problems transferring into a normal taxi however it has to be in the front seat and since covid most taxi drivers wont let passengers use the front seat and as far as I am cocerned these so called specialised transport services overcharge to use them, last week I contacted a company that has wheelchair accessible taxis to inquire about the price to use their service to get from crumlin to clondalkin they gave me a price of €40, after this I went on the transport for Ireland website and the same journey would cost €18.40 - €26.60 a difference of €13.40 - €21.60, how do they get away with it.

AndrewJRenko

Contact NTA if they’re screwing you on price.

https://www.transportforireland.ie/support/taxi-compliments-complaints/

Main problem is availability rather than price.

Darrenf1969

tried tfi not sure if it posted as I got no confirmation email.

Del2005

They can quote what they like but you only have to pay the metered fare and they can't take the scenic route. So TFI says it's upto €22 then complain if the taxi fare goes above this. As the other poster said getting a wheelchair taxi will be a bigger problem than the fare.

Darrenf1969

this company does not use meters

Del2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119612330#Comment_119612330

If you are in a taxi it's illegal not to use the meter and IIRC it's illegal to charge more than the metered fare. So either way the fare should be what TFI says if you are in a taxi.

Spook_ie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119612330#Comment_119612330

Only if it's a WCA limousine or WCA hackney a WCA taxi must charge the meter rate unless a pre agreed fare is agreed and then they should charge the lessor of the two.

Quote

How taxi fares are calculated

The maximum fares that taxis and wheelchair accessible taxis can charge are regulated by then National Maximum Fares Order. 

The national maximum taxi fare is programmed into the taximeter that must be installed in all taxis and wheelchair accessible taxis. Taxi customers are entitled to have the fare for their entire journey calculated and charged on the taximeter, and the fare calculated in this way is the maximum fare that the driver can charge for any journey. This is the case even where the fare for a journey has been agreed in advance. A taxi driver may charge the pre-agreed fare only if it is less than the fare calculated on the meter.

From

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.nationaltransport.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/SPSV-official-manual-rev-7.4.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiX4Z7h-pT6AhWRZMAKHSEGDfsQFnoECAUQBg&usg=AOvVaw0XGIFC0R2K3dNMZHe5IorJ

if link doesn't work just Google SPSV regulations and download the official SPSV manual pdf.