A battle to end the discriminatory pricing structure of private-hire taxis in Keighley, Bradford, is now in the hands of Westminster MPs.
The three-year campaign, led by People First Keighley and Craven, set out to put an end to the practice of charging disabled passengers more to travel in private cabs. The advocacy group has been spear-heading a fight to have a section of the Equality Act 2010 enacted by Parliament forcing taxi firms to charge the same fare rates for able-bodied and disabled passengers.
Local Discussion
Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Keighley, John Grogan, supports a swift end to the feud: “I fail to see a good reason for further delay,” he stated, “It’s simply a matter of basic justice that a wheelchair user should pay the same for a journey, in a vehicle suitable for them, as anybody else.”
Previous attempts to change the protocol for drivers had seen little return and campaign leader, Tom Walsh, is delighted that the matter is now with MPs. He commented: “Private hire drivers with accessible vehicles were charging double the fare for wheelchair users. That figure is now time-and-a-half but it’s still totally wrong.”
Section 165 of the Equality Act states that any driver carrying a disabled passenger cannot make an additional charge to do so but this legislation must receive Parliamentary action before it can be fully enforced. BBC undercover film footage revealed many drivers charged Mr Walsh double the amount compared with an able-bodied passenger.
Some have defended the drivers’ decisions. Stuart Hastings, of private hire firm, Metro, explains: “There is a lot more involved than carrying an able-bodied passenger and it can take twice as long.” He claims that their disabled customers appreciate the additional work required and are happy to pay more for the service.
Future Thoughts
With the general election in sight, the motion may be carried forward to a new government creating further delay. For now though, campaigner Tom Walsh is clear about his standpoint commenting: “Discrimination is still going on and we must put a stop to it.”