From: George Taleporos [gtdeakin@bigpond.net.au]
Sent: Thursday, 3 May, 2001 13:09
To: disabdis@humanrights.gov.au
Subject: the accessible taxi inquiry

I am a 25yo male living in Melbourne's Outer East.  As someone with a physical disability who uses a motorised wheelchair and relies on the taxi service to enable me to travel, I have had to endure countless experiences of inadequate service.  Long delays are the most common problem.  People with disabilities should not have to wait for hours longer than others for a taxi.  Our safety is often put in danger when we have to wait out in the cold alone at night.  Our freedoms are being constrained when we dont leave our homes because of the lack of accessible transport, hence leading to unemployment and limited recreational opportunities.

As an example of the poor service, I have documented one of my experiences and am sumbitting it to the inquiry:

I had booked a taxi through the central booking service (CBS) on April 7. The details of my booking are -  a pickup on April 9 at 9:30am from my house in Wantirna to be dropped off at the Hilton in East Melbourne.  I rang CBS again at 8:30am on April 9 to check that a driver had been assigned to the job.  I was informed that a driver had been assigned and that I would be picked up at 9:30am.

It was very important that I arrived on time to my destination at Hilton on the Park for the NICAN national conference. I was due to present a paper there at 11:00am and had to be at a pre-briefing session at 10:35am.

At 9:40am, a taxi had not arrived so I rang CBS and asked for an estimated time of arrival.  I was informed that CBS was unable to contact the driver who had been assigned to the job and that they would send someone from Knox City who would be at my house in five minutes.  I informed them of the urgency of my trip.

At 10:10am a taxi still had not arrived and I began to feel physically nauseous and incredibly anxious and frustrated.  I rang again and was again told that my taxi would arrive in five minutes.

At 10:35 a taxi still had not arrived and my anxiety had increased to the point where I had to hold myself back from vomiting.  I couldn’t help but think about how much I was looking forward to this event and now I wouldn’t make it on time to experience it and to fulfill my obligation to my sponsor to present at the conference.  I was frightened about what the room full of people who were waiting for me might be thinking and I was terribly distressed about the terrible impression that my lateness would create.  I rang CBS again and stressed the urgency of this matter.  The operator contacted the driver again and she said that he said he was in my street, my mother looked out of the window and reported that he wasn’t there.  I asked the phone operator for her name, she said, Tracey. I told her that this kind of service was unacceptable and she suggested that I make a written complaint to the Victorian Taxi Directorate.

I also rang David Craig, one of the organisers of the conference and left a message on his answering service informing him of my situation.

At 10:40 a taxi arrived, 1 hour and 10 minutes after the requested and agreed upon time.  I arrived at the conference at 11:20, and had missed my appointed speech time.  I had to present last and was so distressed by the earlier experience with the taxi service that it resulted in my presentation being severely impaired.  Had my taxi arrived on time I would have made a much more positive impression.

I suffered a great deal of emotional distress and psychological trauma as a result of utilising the taxi service.  I lost the enjoyment that I would have otherwise experienced.

George Taleporos
Wantirna, Victoria