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From the
Prince George Citizen in Canada:
A group of Prince George, Canada, (pictured) people with disabilities say their lifestyles are being hampered by insufficient taxi service.
Spearheading the complaints are Terry Pipkey, CNIB employment counsellor, and Ken Biron, Power Mobility Club member, who both feel that people with disabilities should have the same service as non-disabled people and the same service they've had in the past.
The problem today is that the one owner-operated handicap taxi operated through PG Taxi, is not large enough to accommodate power scooters or larger powered wheel chairs, they said
"We did have a taxi owner operator that had a full-size van big enough to suit everyone, but when it went out of service about a year ago, the contract was given to another operator with a (mini) van that can't accommodate everyone," said Pipkey, who plans to organize a wheelchair user rally to catch the ear of the public and governments.
Darrell Wolfe, an incomplete paraplegic at Simon Fraser Lodge, added this latest taxi van has no lift like the other one, but a ramp and lower roof line that requires some users to tilt themselves back to make it through the door before they can regain a straight sitting position.
Wolfe, 64, who was injured in a four-wheeler accident, said there's a definite need for improvement to the public taxi service for people with disabilities so people like himself can escape from institution life for a few hours at least.
Sam Kuuluvainen, general manager at P.G. Taxi, said for a number of years the company did operate the full-size vans to accommodate disabled users, but always ran them at loss because it was hard to motivate drivers.
"Eventually we privatized them to owner-operated taxis and didn't charge drivers any dispatch fees, but now those full-size vans are almost impossible to put on the road because of provincial regulations. For example, wheelchair taxis have to conform to a set of criteria to be certified such as floors made out of a certain grade of plywood and the van must be able to withstand 1.5 times the weight of the vehicle with doors that open and close," said Kuuluvainen who knows of only one company in B.C. that manufactures vans up to the taxi code standard.
He said all taxi companies are using mini-vans. "Even in all of Vancouver I'm not aware of of any taxi cab running full-size vans."
He said the mini-vans can accommodate disabled equipment up to five feet in length, but may not be able to accommodate some who have specialized chairs. "I think that number here is less than 10. If they can make it though a normal inside door the mini-van is wide enough to take them."
Kuuluvainen, who noted P.G. Taxi plans to always have one accessible vehicle for disabled users, did some research of the company records to see how great past demand has been for disabled taxi service.
"It's not that great. We get about nine calls a day, and it's never been more than about 11 per day," he said.
Disabled people can use the provincial Handy Dart service, but Wolfe said it's not available evenings, Sunday or holidays.
"You have to book it a day ahead, so that doesn't work if you need to go some place right now."
City buses work for some, but not all, he said.
"You have to get on yourself and position yourself and use your own braking system. The taxi has a seat belt, chest strap, and tie-downs to fasten the chair to the floor."
From the Prince George Citizen in Canada:
