Taxi's refusing to take someone in a wheelchair

280special · 20-11-2011 10:49PM #1

I was in the Q for the taxis at Connolly station this evening when an Irish Rail guy appeared wheeling a woman in a chair and approached the taxis towards the middle of the q of taxis waiting. Two seperate taxis waved them away refusing to take her, presumably they didnt want the hassle of handling what they thought was a invalid. As it was she wasnt, looked like a leg or foot injury necessitating the use of a crutch.

Apart from what I view as being disgusting behaviour, does anyone know what the legal position is on this ? Are taxi drivers allowed to discriminate in this way ?

MagicMarker · 20-11-2011 10:53PM

Maybe it's an insurance issue? There are taxis available with wheelchair access.

If she had a crutch then why didn't she just get up out of the wheelchair?

phasers · 20-11-2011 10:53PM

Were they definitely wheelchair accessible taxis?

Alice1 · 20-11-2011 10:53PM

I believe that they were entitled to refuse, if their taxis were not wheelchair accessible.

If she wishes to make a complaint, she would need the numbers of the taxis and then contact the Carriage Office.

Coriolanus · 20-11-2011 10:53PM

More likely they didn't want anyone "messin' wit de sisdem". They probably thought she should just get in the first one.

Mint Sauce · 20-11-2011 10:54PM

Were they set up to take a disabled person?

2qk4u · 20-11-2011 10:54PM

How do you know the Taxi's were wheelchair accessible ? and if they were then they can not refuse to take the fare.
Did you take their licence number and report it ?

Dotrel · 20-11-2011 10:57PM

Doesn't sound like the honest hardworking taxi drivers I know, who've always been prepared to go that extra mile .... when they realise you don't know the area.

Kevin Duffy · 20-11-2011 10:58PM

280special wrote: »

I was in the Q for the taxis at Connolly station this evening when an Irish Rail guy appeared wheeling a woman in a chair and approached the taxis towards the middle of the q of taxis waiting. Two seperate taxis waved them away refusing to take her, presumably they didnt want the hassle of handling what they thought was a invalid. As it was she wasnt, looked like a leg or foot injury necessitating the use of a crutch.

Apart from what I view as being disgusting behaviour, does anyone know what the legal position is on this ? Are taxi drivers allowed to discriminate in this way ?

So she was queue-jumping and going to the wrong taxis? Little wonder she was waved on to other cars.

2qk4u · 20-11-2011 11:00PM

Kevin Duffy wrote: »

So she was queue-jumping and going to the wrong taxis? Little wonder she was waved on to other cars.

She wasnt que jumping, the customer can choose any Taxi on the rank.

OPENROAD · 20-11-2011 11:00PM

irish-stew wrote: »

Were they set up to take a disabled person?

Shouldn't they all be really?

minidazzler · 20-11-2011 11:01PM

2qk4u wrote: »

How do you know the Taxi's were wheelchair accessible ? and if they were then they can not refuse to take the fare.
Did you take their licence number and report it ?

You'll get a few taxi drivers who "forgot" their ramps quite often. AFAIK they get a cheaper or free licences, but I'm not 100% sure on that.

phasers · 20-11-2011 11:01PM

2qk4u wrote: »

She wasnt que jumping, the customer can choose any Taxi on the rank.

I think they mean the wheelchair person skipped the queue of people.

minidazzler · 20-11-2011 11:02PM

phasers wrote: »

I think they mean the wheelchair person skipped the queue of people.

If it was a wheelchair taxi then it doesn't matter, people with disabilities have priority under certain regulations to get those taxi's.

280special · 20-11-2011 11:02PM

By the looks of it she couldnt walk very far, hence Irish Rail were doing a bit of good customer service by getting her down to the taxi rank with her travel bag.

It certainly wasnt anything to do with being fair to the guys at the head of the rank, there were plenty of us waiting for taxis so they were'nt stuck for business. From what i could see the taxis were quite capable of taking her, after all the Irish Rail guy wouldnt have tried to get her into the taxi if they werent. Dont know who she was so cant advise her on the complaint system ! This isnt the first time i have seen something like this, it appears to be down to an unwillingness to take on someone who might be a bit more difficult to get in and out.

MagicMarker · 20-11-2011 11:03PM

2qk4u wrote: »

She wasnt que jumping, the customer can choose any Taxi on the rank.

And the taxi man can wave her on, it's an unwritten rule among taxi men that they take their turn when accepting a fare.

2qk4u · 20-11-2011 11:03PM

phasers wrote: »

I think they mean the wheelchair person skipped the queue of people.

Wheelchair passengers get priority.

phasers · 20-11-2011 11:03PM

minidazzler wrote: »

If it was a wheelchair taxi then it doesn't matter, people with disabilities have priority under certain regulations to get those taxi's.

But this hasn't been established yet, and the OP went on to say the person in question could walk with a crutch. Slightly confusing.

Kevin Duffy · 20-11-2011 11:04PM

2qk4u wrote: »

She wasnt que jumping, the customer can choose any Taxi on the rank.

If the OP was already in a queue and she didn't join the queue, she was queue-jumping. I you queue-jump me and give me "the customer can choose any taxi" as an excuse, it will have to be a taxi that take pasengers suffering the disability of nosebleed.

Mint Sauce · 20-11-2011 11:04PM

OPENROAD wrote: »

Shouldn't they all be really?

If that was the case every taxi on the road would have to be a people carrier or mini bus type.

Saloon cars dont have any room for an occupied wheel chair.

dumbbell · 20-11-2011 11:05PM

surely she would just go in the van like taxi and not a car model ...

2qk4u · 20-11-2011 11:06PM

MagicMarker wrote: »

And the taxi man can wave her on, it's an unwritten rule among taxi men that they take their turn when accepting a fare.

No he cant, its an offence to refuse the fare. If you are last in a que and a customer gets into your car you have to take the job. Im well aware thet the unwritten rule exists but so do the real regulations.

phasers · 20-11-2011 11:07PM

This makes no sense to me. If she can walk with a crutch she could get into any taxi and put the chair in the boot, so why skip down the rank?

I might just be a bit dense though so ignore my rambling...

280special · 20-11-2011 11:09PM

Kevin Duffy wrote: »

So she was queue-jumping and going to the wrong taxis? Little wonder she was waved on to other cars.

No, it wasnt a Q jump and they didnt wave her up to the head of the Q, they just waved her away, if anything towards the taxis behind them.

But then maybe this attitude to someone with a disability or injury is to be expected in this great , friendly , helpfull country of ours.

280special · 20-11-2011 11:10PM

phasers wrote: »

But this hasn't been established yet, and the OP went on to say the person in question could walk with a crutch. Slightly confusing.

Cant see what the confusion is, this lady couldnt walk very far, she just about got into the taxi with help.

In the past I have seen plenty of more mobile people than that parking in disabled parking spaces...including some taxi drivers !

MagicMarker · 20-11-2011 11:10PM

2qk4u wrote: »

Wheelchair passengers get priority.

Why?

2qk4u · 20-11-2011 11:12PM

MagicMarker wrote: »

Why?

Because the Taxi Regulator said so.

flutered · 20-11-2011 11:14PM

during my sojourn in the u.s. inviladed people had priority for taxis, if some one with a stick/cane was in a qeue then they had priority, manys the time i seen blokes to stop women geting in a taxi and having the guy/gal with a stick 1st preference, i assume the war vets thing being the difference.

MagicMarker · 20-11-2011 11:15PM

2qk4u wrote: »

No he cant, its an offence to refuse the fare. If you are last in a que and a customer gets into your car you have to take the job. Im well aware thet the unwritten rule exists but so do the real regulations.

A taxi driver may not unreasonably refuse a fair, do you think a taxi driver asking a customer to use the taxi at the top of the rank is unreasonable? No taxi driver in the country would be punished for doing this.

MagicMarker · 20-11-2011 11:15PM

2qk4u wrote: »

Because the Taxi Regulator said so.

Link?

melekalikimaka · 20-11-2011 11:16PM

lads calm down surely this person can stand up for themselves.

<i'll get my coat>

Taxi's refusing to take someone in a wheelchair

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