Wheelchair user left without transport

A wheelchair user was left stranded after a night out in the capital because no taxi company he phoned could give him a ride.

Grant Philip, from Canterbury, and fiance Leeanne Stanley visited Wellington in early November and were forced to find their own way through the city’s hilly streets after failing to find an appropriate taxi for Philip’s needs.

The couple were staying at Sofitel Hotel in Bolton St and needed a taxi to and from Te Auaha in Dixon St, a distance of roughly 1.5 kilometres.

Hotel staff arranged a van through Wellington Combined Taxis to take the couple there and while they received an unexpected $12 surcharge on arrival, it was the trip back that left them disappointed.

‘‘We asked the taxi driver for his card, thinking he might say: just ring me and I’ll come and get you later,’’ Philip said.

This was something they have done frequently in both Christchurch and Auckland. But when they called the taxi company around 7.30pm, Philip said they were told wheelchair vans were not running that night.

‘‘We might have, on occasion, had to wait for 15 or so minutes for one to become free but have never been told we don’t do wheelchair taxis in the evening. I was a bit dumbfounded,’’ Philip said.

Stanley tried calling other taxi companies but had no luck – she tried Green Cabs, which did not have any appropriate vehicles as well as an independent driver who was based in Ka¯ piti and too far away.

With no other option, they made their own way back to their hotel. ‘‘Forty-five minutes and apparently we took the worst route back – it was all up hills,’’ Stanley said.

Philip tried to help by braking when they would go downhill but ended up injuring his hands.

‘‘Unbeknownst to me, I actually wore through the skin on the side of my little fingers. The one on my right hand got infected and I am just finishing up a course of antibiotics for that.’’

Philip and Stanley said they both wanted more awareness around what is and isn’t available.

‘‘I think it is more education, to let other wheelchair users or people that need that service know that at nights you have got to plan well ahead.’’

Wellington Combined Taxis training and compliance manager Athol Smith said the company regretted that there was not a wheelchair van available. It had only four such vans in its fleet, which were often stretched thin due to demand.

Human Rights Commissioner Paula Tesoriero said disabled people had the right to be in public at any time, not just between the hours of 7am and 7pm, but a lack of transport options could impose a curfew on their activities.

New Zealand Taxi Federation executive director John Hart said the organisation was aware that a lack of vehicles for wheelchair users was a big issue in certain centres.

He said the organisation had tried talking to the Government and regional councils about providing funding to increase the number of wheelchairfriendly vehicles in the taxi industry but things were moving slowly.