SUBSIDIES FOR ACCESSIBLE TAXIS WOULD STIMULATE MOTOR INDUSTRY

• Govt set 100% accessible taxi target in 2007: current figure at 6%

• All current accessible taxis need upgrade to meet new standards by 2012: subsidies essential

Subsidies for accessible taxis would stimulate the motor industry and allow for a more inclusive society, says the Accessible Taxi Consortium, a coalition of Disability organisations. Despite a commitment in the 2007 Programme for Government for a 100% accessible taxi fleet in all cities by 2010, just one year before that target, only 6% of taxis and hackneys in Ireland are accessible.  

The Taxi Regulator in a recent summary of forthcoming reforms stated all taxis with accessible vehicle licences will have to meet an agreed standard by 2012. The Accessible Taxi Consortium are calling on the Government to announce subsidies in Budget 2010 to allow taxi drivers to bring their vehicles up to the needed standard. The alternative is that many drivers will be unable to upgrade their vehicles and will change their licence from an accessible provider to a standard taxi provider.  

The current provision of accessible taxis is already dire and if more accessible taxis are taken off the road then it will have a very negative impact on people with a disability. One leading disability advocate spent upwards of 90 minutes on O’Connell Street recently with a wheelchair user who could not find an accessible taxi, despite approaching drivers waiting for fares at some of the busiest ranks in the city centre. 

There has been no meaningful movement towards increasing the numbers of accessible Taxis. It is acknowledged by all parties that some form of subsidisation is required to support taxi operators to purchase accessible vehicles.  

ENDS

  About the Accessible Taxi Consortium

• The Accessible Taxi Consortium was established in 2003 to address the issues relating to the provision of accessible taxis for people with disabilities. It comprises a number of disability organisations, including the Disability Federation of Ireland, the Not-for-Profit Business Association, Inclusion Ireland, the Irish Wheelchair Association, the National Council for the Blind of Ireland, and Rehab. In 2004, the Consortium produced the comprehensive report Towards an Accessible Taxi Service for All, which made a series of recommendations in relation to achieving an accessible taxi service.

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