A Liverpool taxi driver has been cautioned by Liverpool City Council Licensing for failing to ensure the safety of a wheelchair passenger.
The driver was found to be carrying a wheelchair user without securely strapping them in as per the conditions of their licence.
All taxi drivers must meet their legal obligations in respect to wheelchair users.
They should aim to comply with the following guidance;
A wheelchair must be positioned in the designated space allotted by the vehicle manufacturer.
A wheelchair must not be secured facing sideways or at an angle.
A wheelchair must be secured as specified and using the equipment supplied by the vehicle manufacturer.
A wheelchair must have the brakes applied or electric wheelchairs must have the power off and the brakes on.
The driver must offer assistance to load the wheelchair and use the ramps or equipment supplied by the vehicle manufacturer.
All wheelchair ramps, straps, etc. supplied by the manufacturer must be carried on the vehicle and be in good working order.
In 2018 a taxi driver in Coventry lost his licence after twice failing to secure a disabled passenger in his cab.
Coventry City Council revoked his licence after deciding the driver did not use restraining straps to secure the wheelchair and passenger in the correct position in the taxi.
The council said he failed to admit these failures to Coventry City Council enforcement officers when later interviewed.
The committee felt that the driver had tried to pass the burden of responsibility onto the complainant, claiming that it was the passenger who had requested not to be strapped in.
Members were unanimous in the decision to revoke the licence and wanted to send a clear message to Coventry taxi drivers that transporting any passenger in a dangerous manner would not be tolerated.
Image credit: Twitter - @lcc_licensing
