‘It’s scary and unfair to be in this situation’
Woman with walker says cabbies refuse to allow her to sit in front seat
Editor’s note: Some have termed COVID-19 “the great equalizer” because it can indiscriminately infect anyone. But the impact it has on people and families is far from equal. The Star’s Viral Inequality series looks at how people from various walks of life have seen their lives change, and, in some cases, how they’ve slipped through the safety net of government support.
The right to ride in the front seat. It’s the kind of battle Julia Williams never imagined she would wage in the middle of a global health pandemic.
Williams, 61, and a long-time resident of Innisfil, a town near Barrie, says her life under lockdown due to COVID-19 has been overcomplicated by what she calls “unfair treatment” when trying to ride in taxis. She lives with multiple disabilities and health conditions which require her to use a walker, and says she has been late or even missed important medical appointments due to taxi drivers refusing to let her ride in the front passenger seat.
“It’s very frustrating and I’m stressed out,” Williams said. The situation has led her to get into verbal disputes with both taxi drivers and dispatchers over the past three months since lockdown began.
“I really think it is my right as a human being and a person with disabilities to be accommodated.”
Some have termed the coronavirus “the great equalizer” as it can indiscriminately infect anyone, but the impact it inflicts on people is far from equal. Just as families’ makeup and socio-economic statuses are different, the stakes can be much different when it comes to living in the era of COVID-19.
Due to her physical disabilities, Williams didn’t go out much even before the pandemic forced people to limit outings to only what is essential. She has arthritis in both her knees, and bone spurs have developed in one of them. She’s been contemplating knee replacement. Walking is “unbelievably painful,” and she’s been using a walker for the past 20 years.
She was also born with congenital fibrosis syndrome, a condition that affects her sight and has made her partially blind.
She relies on the generosity of her neighbours for grocery shopping and other needs during the lockdown, and only leaves home when going for medical treatments.
Living in a town that has no public transit system leaves her with almost no other option than relying on a taxi for transport. She described herself as a “van only” customer.
Williams said she had always used the front passenger seat before, as her physical conditions wouldn’t permit her to get into the back seat of a van. But with physical distancing measures in place to combat the spread of COVID-19, taxi drivers in the Barrie region have been refusing to let her sit up front, citing guidelines from health-care officials.
“I have been missing my medical appointments because of this,” she said, adding she usually has about two appointments every week for blood work and getting her hearing aids serviced among other health-care needs.
“One time I was so late the doctor got angry and told me he could refuse to treat me or charge me $150 in fines. It’s just scary and unfair to be in this situation.”
She recounts an incident a few weeks ago when a driver from Deluxe Taxi company wouldn’t let her use the front seat, offering instead to lift her up and get her in the back of the van. She refused as she has PTSD and doesn’t want people touching her.
“With COVID-19 they don’t want you touching anybody, and I’m thinking to myself ‘well, if you’re going to touch me to help me get in the back seat, why can’t I sit in the front seat then?’ ” she said.
Williams said she has repeatedly argued with dispatchers that the back-seat use is just a guideline from health officials and not a mandatory rule, especially when someone has a legitimate reason to want to sit in the front of the car.
Deluxe Taxi did not respond to the Star’s request for comment. The company has put up signs in its cabs that direct all passengers to sit in the back seat of the vehicles for their safety and that of the drivers during COVID-19.
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit wouldn’t say if Williams has a legitimate case to make, only saying it has put out a guidance document on preventive practices for taxi drivers during this pandemic. The guidelines are meant to help limit exposure to other people when possible, and recommend wearing face coverings when physical distancing is not possible.
“Operators of taxi-driving agencies should consider appropriate barriers, procedures, and personal protective equipment for drivers based on provincial guidance, in order to accommodate riders with disabilities,” said Dr. Lisa Simon, Associate Medical Officer of Health, in a statement.
Williams, who purchased a face-shield earlier in the pandemic and wears a mask every time she goes out, said it’s “ridiculous” to use the taxi driver’s safety as an excuse to refuse her service for needing to sit in the front seat.
“I am always protected. I carry hand sanitizer with me always. I am more at risk than any of these drivers,” she said, adding she knows many other people with disabilities also face similar challenges.
All she wants is for the dispatchers to write down that she’s a special needs client and requires a driver who will let her use the front seat.
“I don’t really think it’s too much to ask.”
“I am always protected. I carry hand sanitizer with me always. I am more at risk than any of these drivers.”
JULIA WILLIAMS INNISFIL RESIDENT
If you’d like to share your story as part of the Star’s Viral Inequality series, contact Gilbert Ngabo at gngabo@thestar.ca and/or Priya Ramanujam at pramanujam@thestar.ca.