Accessible Transport

Posted by mndoxford on March 10th, 2009 at 17:57

When I became disabled and in a wheelchair, I had no idea it would be so difficult to travel by taxi. I consulted a leaflet written by the [Oxford City] council which had a list of 4 taxi firms that proclaimed to take wheelchairs. Wrong - none of them did. So I phoned Dialability and they put me on to taxi firm M.

M have black cabs and a small steep ramp for my powerchair to go up, which always needs the taxi driver to steady the chair at the back. They were reasonably reliable, but EXPENSIVE for wheelchair users. The normal price to town centre is £7 to £8, taxi firm M charge me DOUBLE at £15.

I became a regular customer so I asked for an account to be opened, but they always said ‘no’ even though they offered accounts to others. Then after some sessions of fingers that didnt work trying to get my purse out; I wrote the firm a letter again asking for an account but got no reply.

Then when the University organised for me to go to a nearby gym for a gym trial, I recommended taxi firm M to the organiser. She was allowed an account immediately and when I ordered the taxi, I simply quoted a number.

Oh, but how tiresome the taxi firm became when I ordered a taxi for myself during the gym trial weeks! They repeatedly said ‘but this one is not on account, only the gym one’. We did not want to hear this every time we ordered a taxi.

So, I’d been with taxi firm M for about a year, when one evening I was getting in a taxi in town and I turned to my friend, Jane, and said ‘Can you get an account for me?’. She spoke sweetly to the driver who said ‘Has SHE (meaning me) got someone at home?’. So he drove me home, came in my home and asked for a £100 cheque to set up the account and as an advance payment, dealing with my teenage son and not me. I paid the money as I was desperate to get an account. He certainly gave me the impression that he was not dealing with me because he had concluded that I couldn’t understand him.

Recently, I was in the taxi with a new carer and he said to her (not me) ‘Is HER (meaning me) son at home?’. He wasn’t but I told the carer to say he was. So he followed us inside and sat with his back to me and asked the carer for another pound;100 as the first one had been spent. He relayed a list of trips I’d made BUT FAILED TO PRESENT AN INVOICE and the carer had no idea of the trips. As for me? He had his back to me and I was referred to as ‘SHE’ at all times. So ‘SHE’ wrote another cheque.

In the snow I was due up at the hospital; so my son booked the taxi the evening before. My carer shovelled snow to make a path for the wheelchair. The taxi didn’t arrive so carer phoned and eventually it came. The driver said they had no record of the booking. The chair was slipping in the ice so he got behind it muttering ‘I shouldn’t be doing this’. No apology for the no-show and we were freezing but had to ask for the heating to go on.

Let’s hope something can be done for disabled persons trying to travel by taxi.

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Travel to Tenerife

Posted by Moira on January 26th, 2009 at 14:41

My first Xmas present opened was a microwavable lavender bag in a check cover from my friend Wyn. Within minutes of opening, it was heated up and wrapped round the flimsy Xmas outfit that I was wearing. Oh, it felt so warm and cosy! It was never far from my side for next 2 days and I insisted on taking it with me in the van taking me to Luton airport bound for Tenerife on the 27th December.

When we arrived at Luton,it was freezing cold and I was dressed for the sunshine! I hoped that we could be dropped off outside the departures entrance but no such luck, as it seemed that only taxis could get that close. There was no way that I was giving up the lavender bag, so it came on the plane with us, bound for Tenerife. On the plane I used it to rest my head on the window.

I travelled with Karin who had offered to come with me and help. When we arrived in the evening it was a little chilly. The Hotel bed looked barely accessible nor comfortable. However with Karin’s help, I managed to get in. You can guess the rest - I stuck my face in the lavender bag and was completly asleep for the next 9 hours! The next day, there was beautiful sunshine and we headed for the sun loungers. They were a bit rickety and almost completely flat and not very inviting, so I put the lavender bag down as a pillow and, again, with Karin’s help, managed to get on and off. Oh, and sleep! and at the same time acquire a nice tan!

Getting into the pool was interesting. The Lifeguard clearly made his own mind up about whether or not you could transfer onto the ‘ducking chair’. His opinion was based on whether you were a lady or a man! You’ve guessed right again! Being a lady, I was to be lifted on. Well, what a lift! No question of getting wheelchair sensibly near the ‘ducking chair’ so I was carried vertically, clamped to him, over 3 yards!! Men were left to sink or swim! Once he got you in,he tried to disappear for his siesta and we had to stop him as we didn’t want to be there for hours!

The evening buffet was very good and so was the evening entertainment, albiet a bit old fashioned with snakes round necks and parrots on scooters! But there was a quiz one night which Karin and I managed to win so we were rewarded with champagne.

New Year’s Eve went with a bang with impressive fireworks surrounding the complex.

Karin was an excellent helper and made everything so easy for me. I can recomend this hotel which we booked through Enable Holidays. Oh, and buy yourself a microwavable lavender bag! Thankyou Wyn! Thankyou Karin! Umm thankyou Lifeguard (I think!)
Moira

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Brighton

Posted by Moira on August 10th, 2008 at 16:12

On the 24th July, one of the hottest days this year; I went to Brighton for the day with family and friends courtesy of the Oxfordshire Branch of the MND Association.

The wheelchair accessible transport was provided by qualitycaretravel@btinternet.com. The journey there was very easy and we headed straight for the famous Pier. For the disabled amongst you: the Pier has a smooth track for wheelchair users and a good disabled loo on a radar key.

Clearly Brighton has similar access problems to Oxford but I think Brighton scored slightly better. For example, they have a huge outdoor café culture but they still left some room for a wheelchair user to pass and provided roughened paved areas where the pavement sloped into the road.

I really recommend hiring quality care. The drive was brilliant and made it so easy. A huge thank you, and a huge thank you to the Oxfordshire Branch who funded the cost of the travel.
A fantastic day out for all.
Moira

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