It gives me great pleasure to have the opportunity to tell you about my experiences with taxis in Sydney.  As a wheelchair-user of nearly ten years who does not drive, I rely heavily on taxis.  Their availability and response times significantly shape my lifestyle, both in the workplace and privately.  I am often forced to plan my life around taxis and experience significant monetary and personal costs because of them.

Indeed, I largely abandoned relying on the dedicated wheelchair accessible vehicles many years ago – I now only call one if I’m travelling with a group of people – because of their limited availability and slow response times (over an hour on some occasions).  I prefer to leave that service instead to the people most in need of it and, instead, call ‘normal’ taxis, as I can step out of my wheelchair and have the driver place it in the boot.  Nevertheless, this ‘option’ has its own hazards:

·        I’m often unsteady on my feet (staying in my chair would be safer), especially in wet weather, which causes me personal fear;

·        Even though I inform the call centre I have a fold-up wheelchair when I book taxis, many taxis arrive with gas tanks in the boot, making storage of my chair difficult;

·        My wheelchair has been damaged by rough treatment by drivers, including one occasion when a piece was left on the roadside.  Indeed, I had to purchase a ‘sturdier’ wheelchair.

·        It is generally a longer waiting time when I specifically request a station wagon;

·        For safety reasons, I prefer to book taxis rather than flag them on the street, but even if I try to flag one, many drivers refuse to stop for me (I assume they don’t want to get out of the vehicle to assist me); and

·        I have had several drivers answer my booking only to refuse to transport me.  One complained that my wheelchair would scratch his new vehicle, another rudely insisted I am supposed to call the special wheelchair service.

Fortunately, up until now, when I travel (infrequently) on weekends, I have been driven by family and friends on weekends; I don’t know how I’ll manage when I move out of my family’s home later this year.  I rarely go out at night, because I can’t count on getting a taxi to pick me up. However, my work involves attending many meetings in Sutherland, St George and Inner City areas, for which I need to travel by taxi.  On a busy week, I may make eight to ten trips, of varying length.  I have tried a range of methods to ensure arrival at my destinations on time, with varying levels of success (and no guarantees).  Even with these precautions, I often wait 20 minutes or more and make three reminder calls to the call centre on my mobile phone to locate the taxi:

·        I try to book ahead for a specific time (in case the call centre phone is engaged when I need to call), but I’m told the bookings only go on the radio shortly prior to the pick up time anyway;

·        I always book for a time at least 30 minutes earlier than when I need to depart;

·        I never plan to book taxis between 8.30 and  9.30 am weekdays or after 4.00 pm on a Friday because the call centre is engaged or the response time is appalling;

·        I never plan to catch a taxi around the 3.00 pm changeover time, as I’ve waited nearly one hour the last two times; and

·        Sometimes, I just have to ring with my apologies for meetings when I am still waiting to be picked up and the meeting starting time passes.

Generally, I have to say that the taxi drivers who pick me up are more helpful than not and often apologise for their response time, with many saying they have travelled a vast distance to pick me up “because no one else answered the radio call”.  I am also very grateful for the half-fares I receive through the Taxi Subsidy Scheme.  However, I have not found the call staff to be respectful of my needs or complaints (last time they didn’t return my call). 

It is vital to me that this inquiry result in expanded, quality taxi services for people in wheelchairs.  I need taxis to be reliable and safe so I can live my life.  I want to be able to go out at night and not worry that I will be stranded waiting for a taxi at a late hour.  I want to be able to book a taxi and know it will arrive on time and not have to waste an hour waiting and ringing the call centre to remind them I’m still waiting.  I don’t want to constantly worry that I will be late for a meeting or look unreliable to my work peers for not turning up.  And most especially, I need to know that my wheelchair - on which I rely absolutely – is being transported safely and in one piece, along with me.

I thank you for this opportunity to have my  say and  look forward to some positive outcomes.

Melinda Paterson