Northern Ireland Trailblazers Inclusion Now campaign.

www.muscular-dystrophy.org 07
Door-to-door community transport
Door-to-door transport is a service which is available to people in towns, including wheelchair
users, who find it a challenge to use public transport. It is necessary to sign up to the scheme
beforehand and you need to book at least a day in advance. It normally costs £1.50 per journey
and helps people access their local town more easily. 9
Every day I use a door-to-door service, which is run by the government. It is reliable
and takes me to work every day. I pay £46 upfront for the service and then pay a small
fee per trip. This works well for me, and is better than using taxis, in my opinion.
Alistair Carlisle
Taxis
Accessible black cabs are often the only transport option for disabled people, who may often
need more space for equipment and may not be able to walk to the bus stop or train station.
Taxis, however, are often more expensive than other modes of transport, can be hard to find and
will often not stop for someone in a wheelchair. Some Trailblazers have reported that they have
been charged more for a journey because of their disability. This is discriminatory and should
never occur. 10
Taxis are accessible but they are few and far between and I get charged time and a
half; I’m not really sure if that is allowed?
Frances Ashe
I’ve had some good and bad experiences with taxis. One of my best experiences of
using a taxi was when a female taxi driver lifted out her two baby seats from her boot
and lifted my wheelchair into her car. My disability wasn’t seen as a hindrance. Some
of my worst have been when taxi drivers won’t take me because they have ‘golf clubs’
or ‘shopping’ in the boot and can’t fit my wheelchair in.
Alistair Carlisle
Some incompetent taxi drivers who operate locally have posed a safety risk to myself
as a passenger because of how they secure my chair, so I rarely use a public taxi.
Daniel Rafferty
Actions needed
n A standardised railcard for disabled people, which offers concessionary travel for disabled
people and their carers.
n All buses to be made accessible within a designated timeframe, with clear information
and promotion about the location and priority for designated wheelchair spaces.
n Removal of the requirement to book 24 hours in advance for an accessible bus.
n Better training for drivers and staff around disability, equality and equipment and a clear
complaints procedure.
n Increased availability of accessible taxis, with more stringent training on ramp deployment .
n Working together with organisations like Trailblazers and speaking to disabled people
themselves to find out how to improve access to public transport services, how to
develop existing strategies with all transport providers within a set timeframe to ensure
there is improved access.
Common
concerns
n Paying for a carer to
accompany a disabled
person means that the
cost is greater for
disabled passengers.
n The 24-hour
pre-notification period
to use buses, trains and
door-to-door service stops
disabled people
being able to go out
spontaneously and
independently.
n Bus ramps do not always
work, bus stops are not
always accessible,
and the designated
wheelchair space is
often taken up by prams.
n Lack of availability of
accessible taxis, and lack
of awareness from drivers
who may not understand
a disabled passenger’s
requirements.
9
www.imtac.org.uk/publications.php?pid=34
10
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-14527162