An evaluation of the taxi service available to wheelchair users

Adverse accounts of wheelchair user's experience of the taxi service have been reported. It is not clear whether these experiences are "once off" or reflect those of the user group. Wheelchair users living in cities throughout Ireland were surveyed. Of 306 questionnaires a response rate of 40.3% was achieved. Nearly 50% felt they had been refused a taxi because of their condition. Fifty one percent felt inadequately secured in a taxi with 35% rating driver's knowledge of handling as poor or very poor. Eight people (7%) had been injured as a result of unsafe handling by the taxi driver. Thirty percent said the modifications to the vehicles were inadequate and 45% said further modifications were needed. The results suggest that wheelchair users do not have access to a reliable, safe taxi service. The most important finding of the study was that that taxi driver's lack knowledge of how to handle and secure wheelchairs and people are being injured as a result. This study illustrates two things; the need to educate taxi drivers and the need to revisit the specifications for wheelchair accessible taxis to ensure modifications are adequate for users needs.