Wheelchair-bound residents in Dubai want more accessible taxis to be introduced in the city as they claim the current fleet cannot meet the high demand.

A 70-year-old Indian woman who suffers from Parkinson’s disease and has had surgery on both knees, said, “I use a wheelchair and cannot take a regular car or taxi when I visit the doctor. I need a special taxi as I can be wheeled in, but there are not too many of them available and I invariably end up waiting for an hour or two when I make a booking.”

Entrepreneur Shobhika Kalra, 25, who has a rare degenerative disorder and also moves around on a wheelchair, said, “I rarely call for these special taxis because there is always a long queue. There is no chance I will get the taxi if I decide to go somewhere suddenly, it has to be booked well in advance. That’s why I prefer to take the Metro.”

“The point is there are not enough special taxis in Dubai,” said a 65-year-old man who uses a wheelchair after a leg operation.

Average bookings

So how many accessible taxis does the Roads and Transport Authority operate and how many bookings does it receive in a day?

Dr Yousef Al Ali, CEO of Dubai Taxi Corporation, said, “DTC has a fleet of seven accessible taxis. We get an average of 34 job bookings for our accessible fleet daily.”

Asked about delays in the arrival of these taxis, he said, “Because of an increase in demand, we have added two accessible taxis in the last year. We offer this service 24 hours a day to meet the needs of a person with mobility impairment, covering all areas of the emirate. In addition, public transportation in Dubai has now become accessible for persons with mobility impairment to assist with the increase in demand. Drivers are given special training to handle the requirements of customers with mobility impairments. This taxi can be booked in advance through various booking channels.” Dr Ali said senior citizens attending to essential hospital appointments mainly use these services. “These specialty taxis are equipped with a special access platform and flexible seating arrangement to accommodate any person with a mobility impairment and their companions. These platforms are electric wheelchair elevators that auto lift any person for ease of access in and out of the larger vehicle.”

Those like the 70-year-old woman said the special taxis should be equipped with GPS. “Without GPS, it can be a huge challenge. Not only do the drivers get lost, it adds to the delay. I understand there are over 4,000 taxis for able-bodied people, so why only a handful for the handicapped?” Kalra said there are times when she has to make do with a regular taxi but it’s “painful”. “If at all I use one, I have to get up from the wheelchair with help and shift into the taxi. The wheelchair has to be folded, kept in the boot and taken out again when I alight.

This is time-consuming, drivers of regular taxis are not trained to handle passengers like us.” Kalra, who runs a support group Wings of Angelz, aims to make Dubai more accessible. Having helped build over 500 ramps across the city, she said she is keen to train drivers to handle special needs passengers

source : gulfnews