wheelchair accessible taxis

Last week, two wheelchair taxis refused me as they said my wheelchair was too heavy for their ramps.
Firstly, they didn't ask me how heavy my wheelchair was! So how do they know it was too heavy?
Secondly, I said show me your ramps? But they wouldn't show me!

I was recording all this on my phone.

I had a meeting today at the council and they said no taxi should refuse a wheelchair without trying first so this is discrimination against disabled people so they are putting a case together and the video footage maybe use in court as evidence.

Have anyone else had problems with taxis?

Good on you Karl for recording it and taking it further, it seems there is a lot of disabled discrimination lately and some of it has become headline news. I'm glad the Council is looking in to it and it may go to court, so it should those taxi drivers should be ashamed of themselves!

I'm in a different country so it's not relevant here. In this Province, wee wouldn't call for a taxi but would call for a Handidart instead which is a short bus with hydraulic lifts to bring the wheelchairs into the bus and will deliver you to the address requested for a nominal fee. I've not used it because neither of us are that severely disabled but I see Hanydart buses coming into our little mobile home park and I've been told that it is a nominal fee to the passenger. We live just outside city limits and they serve her but I'm not sure how far that service extends into rural areas.

My son is somewhat disabled and lives in another park. He uses city buses to go downtown (down a long steep hill) and often drives his scooter onto a lift platform at the rear of the bus, then drives it off downtown to do his shopping. All city buses in the Province have this setup and it's really handy. He buys an annual bus pass that covers all his usage. Handydart and regular buses are run by the Province.

hmmm

I have to say this....I understand you were pissed off...but I think taxi drivers have the right to refuse access to their vehicles for whatever reason...

dont forget they did not charge you for the call out and it is their money they are not earning...if they thought it was 100 percent safe they would have driven you and taken and taken your money. It is in their best interests to do so...but obviously they were worried for whatever reason and miossed out on the money from your fare.

I think when using taxi cabs it is important to confirm with the drivers first as to whether they will take you....

We can so easily jump on the discrimination band wagon....

not everyone is going to ben over backwards for us...this is a given in todays society...but it does not mean that there is a case for discrimination...it just means we need to make our needs known and try to find an alternative way to get where we are going.

people have rights with or without disabilities...it is important to remember this..

I read recently how a disabled group is suing uber in chicago for not supplying whellchair accessible vehicles...while I understand the dilema....I also understand the way uber works....it is you and me people who enlist and drive our own vehicles to transport people from a to be....what this groups is actually suing is you and me people with our own cars.

the fact that there are few accessible vehicles with uber reflects the fact that there are few disabled people with their own cars working for uber....

doesnt this make sense to people....which brings us back to the reason these people in wheel chairs desire tfansport services...they dont have cars of their own ...far less are they willing to share their cars with uber clienst...

I sometimes feel people overstep their rights with out thinking .....

sorry I am not slapping you on the back karl but putting my opinion forward...

I have been in the same type of taxis loads of times. I am 100% safe in these taxis! They said my wheelchair was too heavy but how do they know it was too heavy as they didnt ask me the weight of the chair!

They didnt want to take me because it takes longer to put a wheelchair in the taxi. I didn't phone them up as I was in the taxi area waiting for them. They said no to me and took the able bodied users behind me.

So yes its 100% discrimination against disabled people!

I do understand some of Rhythms points. I use the same taxi firm over and over as they advertise that they have wheelchair accessible taxi's well it's more like a van. But others don't and it's best to ask on the phone before you book it if they have any wheelchair accessible taxi's.