The meeting was jointly sponsored by Dial-a-Cab - the suppliers of taxis to the Westminster Taxicard scheme and Computer Cab - the supplier of taxis to the London Taxicard scheme.
Taxicard is a subsidised taxi service for disabled people and has operated in London since 1983. The scheme is managed by the London Mobility Unit of the Transport Committee for London (except Westminster, which runs its own scheme) but is funded directly by each of the participating boroughs. Each borough determines the minimum fare to be paid by it's residents for every journey as well as the level of subsidy per trip and the maximum number of trips per year users will be entitled to.
London
Mayoral Candidates Attend
Among those present at Congress House were former Minister for Transport in London Glenda
Jackson, Jeffrey Archer and Ken Livingstone - all three being London Mayoral candidates.
All said that taxis must be taken and
DIAL-A-CAB AT THE
LATA CONFERENCE
accepted as part of the transport infrastructure
in London and all hinted that being the Mayor of London would give much more freedom than
working within a government structure.
Jeffrey Archer said that he intended to 'name' boroughs who cared about
transport for the disabled and 'shame' those boroughs whose record was poor. He praised
both Dial-a-Cab and Com Cab for their Taxicard work in Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea
and Camden while criticising both Greenwich and Redbridge.
The meeting gave our representatives the opportunity of speaking to the
Mayoral guests.
Taxicard
Among the subjects discussed were the London underground system, local bus
services, Dial-a-Ride, Community Transport and Taxicard - which is potentially the most
accessible, flexible and cost-effective form of door-to-door transport available to the
disabled people in London. This is especially so as most of the
capital's taxi fleet will be wheelchair accessible by next year and the latest TX1 has a
host of features for the disabled, including a built-in wheelchair ramp and hearing loop
system.
However, because Taxicard is currently funded by London's Boroughs on a piecemeal basis, the level of service varies depending upon each Borough's level of funding (and to some extent on the availability of taxis in each locality). Thus, in some boroughs such as Westminster (served by Dial-a-Cab) and Camden, Kensington &Chelsea and Harrow (served by Com Cab) where there are good levels of funding, users get an excellent service. In other areas where transport funding is low such as in Brent, Ealing and Enfield, services are much poorer. Greenwich has no service at all and Redbridge now seems set to pull the plug in order to save money. Redbridge Council intend replacing the service with council buses and unlicensed, non-accessible minicabs.
DaC Chairman Brian Rice told Call Sign: " The meeting was a very useful exercise in reminding politicians not just WHO we are, but to remind them that we are here! It is also nice when the service that we at Dial-a-Cab supply, is so appreciated."
