TaxiCard Information in Lambeth
Address
LB Lambeth Accessible Transport Unit
Adults and Community Services
Ground Floor, Hopton House
243a Streatham High Road
London, SW16 6EY
Telephone
020 7926 0746
Fax: 020 7926 5143
Taxicard details to 3 January 2011
Trips: 12 a month (rollover)
£10.30/£11.30/£12.80 maximum subsidies per trip
Maximum run in: £3.40
Minimum Fare: £1.50
Taxicard details from 4 January 2011
Trips: 12 a month (rollover). However, please note that from 1 April 2011, this will change to 104 trips a year.
£8.30/£9.30/£10.80 maximum subsidies per trip
Maximum run in: £3.40
Minimum fare: £2.50
No double swiping
If you would like advice about using London’s transport, you may like to contact Transport for All’s Advocacy and Advice Line on 020 7737 2339. Transport for All is an organisation of disabled and older people. It provides advice, information and advocacy about travelling in London, and campaigns for a fully accessible, reliable and affordable transport network for disabled and older Londoners.
http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/services/taxicard/yourborough/lambeth.htm
Tuesday, 21 December 2010
The Diminishing Value of the TaxiCard in Lambeth
The TaxiCard scheme has always operated on an ad hoc basis; the criteria for entry differed from borough to borough; some boroughs gave people the choice of TaxiCard or Freedom Pass; indeed, as I recall at least one borough wouldn’t award the card to Blue Badge holders. The number of journeys varied from borough to borough as did the disabled persons contribution; and, while a lot of boroughs allowed stagecoaching some didn’t, or at least resisted it for years.
After taking a look through the London Boroughs site (see link below) at what the different boroughs are doing I notice that most are increasing the passenger contribution by £1 to £2.50. Now, while this in of itself doesn’t appear a massive rise; so much so the London Council site tries to play down the rise as being the first in 15 years.
But, the site while playing up this detail overlooks the fact that the subsidy has never kept pace with either inflation or the cost of living; thus, the TaxiCard user has seen a real term rise in the cost of their journeys as taxi fares have gone up over the years.
When I first started using TaxiCard I could get from home to Kings Cross Station, around 4.5 miles on one journey. Today, I can barely travel 3 miles, more like 2.5, before having to swipe my card again or suffer the excess fare. With the £2 per journey cut in subsidy it is barely worth holding a card.
That’s the down side from a user’s point of view. These changes in TaxiCard subsidy and the closing down of stagecoaching are also going to impact on the provider, the London cabbie.
The past couple of years have, in my opinion, seen quite an improvement in the reliability of TaxiCard. Where I live, in Lambeth, 2.5 miles from parliament or 3 from Covent Garden, is fairly central; yet, back in 2008 I still experienced problems getting a ComCab from my home – due to their unavailability.
A combination of the recession (you can trust a shortage of work in the centre of town to force a cabbie to widen his horizons in the quest of earning a pound note) and operational changes has improved the system no end – for instance on Saturday evening last, despite a heavy snowfall in Inner and Central London, my taxi turned up in good time and ferried me over to a party in Aldersgate Street, in the City.
The reductions in subsidy, but more especially the scrapping, in most boroughs, of the practice of stagecoaching will, I feel, deter a lot of cab drivers from the system. At the moment when I get into a cab I’ve ordered by phone I tend not to take too much notice of the run in charge on the meter – unless it’s an excessive amount. Because I tend to make journeys that involve a swipe, the run in charge becomes immaterial – that is, my journey is over 3 miles therefore whether the meter reads £3.40 or £4.50 my trip will necessitate two TaxiCard journeys.
Talking to cabbies, as I do, there is a sense that they can earn out of the double swipe trip as most of the second fare doesn’t usually reach the subsidy limit.
http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/services/taxicard/default.htm
After taking a look through the London Boroughs site (see link below) at what the different boroughs are doing I notice that most are increasing the passenger contribution by £1 to £2.50. Now, while this in of itself doesn’t appear a massive rise; so much so the London Council site tries to play down the rise as being the first in 15 years.
But, the site while playing up this detail overlooks the fact that the subsidy has never kept pace with either inflation or the cost of living; thus, the TaxiCard user has seen a real term rise in the cost of their journeys as taxi fares have gone up over the years.
When I first started using TaxiCard I could get from home to Kings Cross Station, around 4.5 miles on one journey. Today, I can barely travel 3 miles, more like 2.5, before having to swipe my card again or suffer the excess fare. With the £2 per journey cut in subsidy it is barely worth holding a card.
That’s the down side from a user’s point of view. These changes in TaxiCard subsidy and the closing down of stagecoaching are also going to impact on the provider, the London cabbie.
The past couple of years have, in my opinion, seen quite an improvement in the reliability of TaxiCard. Where I live, in Lambeth, 2.5 miles from parliament or 3 from Covent Garden, is fairly central; yet, back in 2008 I still experienced problems getting a ComCab from my home – due to their unavailability.
A combination of the recession (you can trust a shortage of work in the centre of town to force a cabbie to widen his horizons in the quest of earning a pound note) and operational changes has improved the system no end – for instance on Saturday evening last, despite a heavy snowfall in Inner and Central London, my taxi turned up in good time and ferried me over to a party in Aldersgate Street, in the City.
The reductions in subsidy, but more especially the scrapping, in most boroughs, of the practice of stagecoaching will, I feel, deter a lot of cab drivers from the system. At the moment when I get into a cab I’ve ordered by phone I tend not to take too much notice of the run in charge on the meter – unless it’s an excessive amount. Because I tend to make journeys that involve a swipe, the run in charge becomes immaterial – that is, my journey is over 3 miles therefore whether the meter reads £3.40 or £4.50 my trip will necessitate two TaxiCard journeys.
Talking to cabbies, as I do, there is a sense that they can earn out of the double swipe trip as most of the second fare doesn’t usually reach the subsidy limit.
http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/services/taxicard/default.htm
Thursday, 16 December 2010
More to accessibility than ramps and designated areas
London buses may have wheelchair spaces allocated; they may have ramps to assist wheelchair users off and on. Sadly, what London buses do not have are very tolerant or understanding passengers.
You can put in place all the infrastructural access elements in the world. However, if certain elements within society then choose to ignore the infrastructural enhancements, then the thing becomes useless to those it was intended to benefit.
If other public transport users refuse to accommodate wheelchair users and other disabled travellers; if they refuse to move out of designated areas or even give us room to get on a vehicle, then access aids are pointless. On trains, if people block us in with luggage; or if they pile luggage in doorways, thus obstructing our freedom of movement; then, they are effectively pushing us off trains; they’re contributing to our sense of isolation.
You can put in place all the infrastructural access elements in the world. However, if certain elements within society then choose to ignore the infrastructural enhancements, then the thing becomes useless to those it was intended to benefit.
If other public transport users refuse to accommodate wheelchair users and other disabled travellers; if they refuse to move out of designated areas or even give us room to get on a vehicle, then access aids are pointless. On trains, if people block us in with luggage; or if they pile luggage in doorways, thus obstructing our freedom of movement; then, they are effectively pushing us off trains; they’re contributing to our sense of isolation.
ACCEPTABLE TERMS
DISABLED PEOPLE
This is acceptable because one can understand from it that we are disabled by society.
PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
Some people prefer this because it emphasis’s that, first and foremost, we are human beings and should be treated as such.
PHYSICAL/SENSORY IMPAIRMENT
This is used to refer to a condition, rather than the above which are about the social context.
PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
A phrase that can be used for any disabled person.
SERVICE USER
A phrase that can be used for any disabled person who uses a voluntary or statutory service, rather than ‘client’.
WHEELCHAIR-USER
These are accurate descriptions, not value judgments.
PERSON IN A WHEELCHAIR
A more factual term.
ESSENTIAL WHEELCHAIR-USER
A small proportion of wheelchair-users cannot transfer onto other seating.
DISABLING CONDITION
This is an accurate description, not a value judgment.
A PAINFUL BACK / DAMAGED EYE / PARALYSED ARM ETC.
These are accurate descriptions, not value judgments.
PEOPLE OF SHORT STATURE OR RESTRICTED GROWTH
This is a more factual description.
PERSON WITH CEREBRAL PALSY / CP
This is the phrase now used instead of ‘Spastic’.
SPINAL CURVATURE
This is preferred to ‘Hunchback’.
DEAF
People with a high degree of deafness usually like to be called deaf. They feel there is no stigma attached to it and they are proud to be who they are.
HEARING IMPAIRED
Some people, particularly those who are not completely deaf, prefer this phrase.
HARD OF HEARING
This is acceptable, particularly to older people with hearing loss.
BLIND & VISUALLY IMPAIRED
These are acceptable terms. Don’t forget that many blind people, though registered blind, do have some limited sight.
AN ACCESSIBLE TOILET OR TOILET FOR DISABLED PEOPLE
This is the proper description for a toilet specifically built / adapted for use by disabled people.
This is acceptable because one can understand from it that we are disabled by society.
PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
Some people prefer this because it emphasis’s that, first and foremost, we are human beings and should be treated as such.
PHYSICAL/SENSORY IMPAIRMENT
This is used to refer to a condition, rather than the above which are about the social context.
PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
A phrase that can be used for any disabled person.
SERVICE USER
A phrase that can be used for any disabled person who uses a voluntary or statutory service, rather than ‘client’.
WHEELCHAIR-USER
These are accurate descriptions, not value judgments.
PERSON IN A WHEELCHAIR
A more factual term.
ESSENTIAL WHEELCHAIR-USER
A small proportion of wheelchair-users cannot transfer onto other seating.
DISABLING CONDITION
This is an accurate description, not a value judgment.
A PAINFUL BACK / DAMAGED EYE / PARALYSED ARM ETC.
These are accurate descriptions, not value judgments.
PEOPLE OF SHORT STATURE OR RESTRICTED GROWTH
This is a more factual description.
PERSON WITH CEREBRAL PALSY / CP
This is the phrase now used instead of ‘Spastic’.
SPINAL CURVATURE
This is preferred to ‘Hunchback’.
DEAF
People with a high degree of deafness usually like to be called deaf. They feel there is no stigma attached to it and they are proud to be who they are.
HEARING IMPAIRED
Some people, particularly those who are not completely deaf, prefer this phrase.
HARD OF HEARING
This is acceptable, particularly to older people with hearing loss.
BLIND & VISUALLY IMPAIRED
These are acceptable terms. Don’t forget that many blind people, though registered blind, do have some limited sight.
AN ACCESSIBLE TOILET OR TOILET FOR DISABLED PEOPLE
This is the proper description for a toilet specifically built / adapted for use by disabled people.
WHY CAN’T DISABLED PEOPLE USE THE TUBE?
Jody McIntyre posed the following questions on his excellent Blog ‘Life on Wheels'.
http://jodymcintyre.wordpress.com/2010/12/11/film-1-we-want-equality/#comments
My response:
Because, the voiceless are not heard.
But, things are changing; and, as the actions and words of activists such as Jody McIntyre are beamed across the world via the Internet, TV and press so the level of our voice begins to rise above the hubbub of our oppressors.
Back in 1995 we got the DDA; and with it came promises of accessible transport sometime in the future – full compliance of buses and trains by 2019 and 2020 respectively. Most disabled people with a finger anywhere near the pulse of what’s-going-on-out-there-in-our-name knows that all buses and trains will not be compliant by those dates – after all they’ve only had a generation to prepare for this – and, they’ll be lodging requests for concessions from compliance to whichever compliant government is in place.
Thousands of disabled people, who were given a soupcon of hope in 1995, have since tootled off to pastures new; and, sadly thousands more will pass on through without benefitting from a fully accessible transport system by the time ‘full compliance’ is in place.
However, by full compliance read a fully compliant public transport system minus a few concessions – the London Underground system for example. Anyway, why all the fuss? Didn’t Simon Hoggart clear this issue up a few years ago when he wondered why the wheelchair users were complaining about the tube system, since he rarely saw a wheelie using the tube!
You couldn’t make it up; could you? Out of the mouths of babes and the sophisticated literati...
Seán
http://jodymcintyre.wordpress.com/2010/12/11/film-1-we-want-equality/#comments
“How can we claim to be living in a developed country, a “free democracy”, when such a large section of society are denied the right to use our public transport. Can you imagine this being accepted for any other group of people… no women on buses? No black people on trains?
Then WHY is it OK for disabled people?"
My response:
Because, the voiceless are not heard.
But, things are changing; and, as the actions and words of activists such as Jody McIntyre are beamed across the world via the Internet, TV and press so the level of our voice begins to rise above the hubbub of our oppressors.
Back in 1995 we got the DDA; and with it came promises of accessible transport sometime in the future – full compliance of buses and trains by 2019 and 2020 respectively. Most disabled people with a finger anywhere near the pulse of what’s-going-on-out-there-in-our-name knows that all buses and trains will not be compliant by those dates – after all they’ve only had a generation to prepare for this – and, they’ll be lodging requests for concessions from compliance to whichever compliant government is in place.
Thousands of disabled people, who were given a soupcon of hope in 1995, have since tootled off to pastures new; and, sadly thousands more will pass on through without benefitting from a fully accessible transport system by the time ‘full compliance’ is in place.
However, by full compliance read a fully compliant public transport system minus a few concessions – the London Underground system for example. Anyway, why all the fuss? Didn’t Simon Hoggart clear this issue up a few years ago when he wondered why the wheelchair users were complaining about the tube system, since he rarely saw a wheelie using the tube!
You couldn’t make it up; could you? Out of the mouths of babes and the sophisticated literati...
Seán
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)