I get discriminated against most days I try to get a cab and am actually surprised if a driver DOESN’T try to overcharge me! I’ve written about my experiences before and today I’m writing to briefly tell you about the laws that would prevent taxi drivers from discriminating against wheelchair users, if councils enforce it. Doug Paulley, a great disabled rights activist, has done some excellent research into the issue of councils not taking steps to make the new discrimination laws enforceable. These laws would make it explicit that a taxi driver can not charge a wheelchair user more than an able-bodied passenger and will be fined for refusing to take a wheelchair user as a passenger except on medical grounds. For this law to be enforceable, councils must create a list of all wheelchair accessible taxis in their area. That’s it. Such a simple step would send out a powerful message to wheelchair users that councils care that we face constant battles and often discrimination when trying to access transport. So why are so few councils doing this?
Read Doug’s research to find out the extent of this issue and if your council is one of the areas enforcing the new laws. To find out what you can do about this issue, check out Muscular Dystrophy UK’s campaign.