An action plan to improve the accessibility of taxis in Scotland’s capital has been agreed, after a Fife man missed his chance to introduce Ed Miliband at the Labour conference.
Kirkcaldy campaigner Gordon Aikman who has motor neurone disease struggled to find a taxi able to accommodate his wheelchair.
He was due to introduce the Labour Party leader on stage but missed out because two taxis he called were unable to pick him up one because the electric ramp was not working and the other because he “took too long to come down” and get in the taxi.
Mr Aikman’s plight saw City of Edinburgh Council leader Andrew Burns and regulatory convener Gavin Barrie meet him to discuss his concerns.
Calling the situation “completely unacceptable” Mr Burns said the purpose of the meeting was to discuss what could be done to make sure it does not happen again.
“We have identified steps that we can take, as the licensing authority for taxis in the city, to ensure these vehicles are accessible to wheelchair users.
“For example, we will be cracking down on drivers who fail to stop for disabled customers and increasing the number of spot checks to check that the taxis’ ramps are operational.
“We will also be calling for taxi companies to review their allocated waiting time for collections, with a view to extending this for people with mobility issues.
“We want to make sure that wheelchair users in Edinburgh have a positive experience when using taxis and I would like to thank Gordon for highlighting this very important issue.”
Other actions agreed include a review of current driver training arrangements to improve accessibility training and looking at introducing refresher courses.
Taxi drivers who are exempt from manually loading wheelchairs for health reasons may also be asked to display a prominent sign on their vehicle showing they are not accessible.
The agreed measures will now be taken forward by the council.
Mr Aikman said: “This crackdown is very welcome. Wheelchair or not, each and every one of us should be able to get into a cab and get from A to B without any hassle.
“I’ve only been in a wheelchair for a couple of weeks but have been shocked by the treatment disabled folk have to put up with.
“I hope other councils follow Edinburgh’s lead. This is not about special treatment. It is about equal access. No disabled person should have to put up with second-rate service.”