2007•11th International Conference on Mobility and Transport for Elderly and Disabled Persons (TRANSED)Transport CanadaTransportation Research BoardRequires access
Technical Challenges of Accessible Taxis
ANN W. FRYE, Donald Macdonald
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Abstract
The subject of accessible taxis is of interest to policy makers, disabled people, and taxi manufacturers and operators. Although policy makers recognize the importance of improving the accessibility of taxis, there has been a reluctance to regulate on a national or international basis. There have been a number of European projects in recent years which have examined taxi design and the economics of taxi operation. The most recent of these is the joint European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT) and International Road Transport Union (IRU) Taskforce. Mainstream public transport in the form of buses, coaches, trains and trams are becoming more accessible for many people, but there will always be a need for taxi services to provide door to door transport for disabled people, or to provide access to other transport modes. Saloon car designs often provide good access for ambulant disabled passengers because of the proximity of the seat to the doorway aperture, but such vehicles cannot provide access for those who travel while remaining seated in their wheelchair. The challenge for vehicle manufacturers is to recognize the potential markets for their vehicles, and to produce vehicles that either accommodate the needs of a wide range of disabled people including wheelchair users, or enable their vehicles to be converted to meet this market demand. The main interest of taxi operators is to have vehicles that are economically viable, and appropriate for their business. This paper is based on the ECMT and IRU Taskforce report, and reviews the needs of disabled people, vehicle manufacturers and operators. The paper considers the changes to the taxi fleet since the previous report, the needs of disabled people – especially the dimensions required for access for wheelchair users, current vehicle designs, and other elements of accessible taxi provision such as dispatch, infrastructure, and staff training. It examines the recommendations of the report which are set in the medium to long term timeframe.