Making private hire services more accessible to disabled people

A good practice guide for Private Hire Vehicle operators and drivers

Driver training issues

Preferably, disabled people should be involved in the training process. This will give attendees first-hand experience of working with, and relating to, disabled people.

Items that should be covered

Generally:
Drivers should ask if any assistance is needed, and not assume the passenger isn't disabled because their disability is not apparent. They should pull up as close to the kerb as possible; this will help all passengers, not just those who are disabled.

Sudden braking and acceleration should be avoided - not only might this cause alarm, but this might also be painful for people with certain types of condition (e.g. arthritis, back problems etc.). Drivers should be polite, courteous and patient at all times, and avoid being patronising. Most of these general attitudinal issues can be covered in 'Disability Awareness Training'. Basic principles, from DPTAC's own guidelines are:

1) the disabled person is the expert on his or her own disability, so the driver should ask what sort of assistance, if any, is required;

2) disabled people are not all the same, so assumptions and generalisations should not be made;

3) consider the importance of PHVs to disabled people (why do so many disabled people use them?). It is worth remembering that disabled people make more private hire journeys per person than non-disabled people.

Blind and Partially Sighted People:
When meeting a blind or partially sighted person, the driver must not simply wait outside, but should knock on the door, or enter the premises, to announce his or her arrival. As much information as is necessary should be given to the passenger (e.g. the type of vehicle, which way it is facing, which way the door opens etc.). The driver should offer to guide the passenger to the vehicle's door, and place one hand on the open door whilst indicating the position of the roof (having remembered, beforehand, to ask whether such assistance is needed). When guiding a blind or partially sighted person, it is important to not push or pull them, but to inform them of what is ahead (e.g. steps, doorways, inclines etc.).

Once inside the vehicle, the driver should offer to help the passenger with the seat belt, and not set off until the passenger is seated and secure. During the journey, the passenger should be informed about any delays, or deviation to the route that he or she might have expected to take. The driver should be aware that a partially sighted person might not be able to read the vehicle's meter, so should be prepared to tell the passenger what the meter reading is. This situation might be avoided using a 'talking' meter.

At the end of the journey, when giving change, it is important to count out coins and notes into the passenger's hand. The driver should ask whether the passenger would prefer change in the form of coins, since it is sometimes more difficult for blind and partially sighted people to distinguish £10 notes from £20 notes, for example. Finally, the driver should be prepared, if necessary, to guide the passenger to his or her final destination.

The carriage of assistance dogs should be permitted in all PHVs, except when the driver has a medical exemption. It should be noted that assistance dogs are trained to sit on the floor of the vehicle and not the seat. The assistance dog user should be consulted as to whether he or she would prefer the dog to sit in the front or back of the vehicle.

The Government intends to proceed with the implementation of Section 37A of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA), which places a duty on licensed PHV operators and drivers to carry guide, hearing and other prescribed assistance dogs, and to do so without charge. Similar provisions have been in place for taxi drivers (under Section 37 of the DDA) since 31 March 2001. The Act also makes provision for PHV drivers to seek exemption from this requirement on medical grounds only. The Act should be in place by spring 2004; in Northern Ireland these requirements will be in place in summer 2004.

Deaf or Hearing Impaired People:
Visual material (including maps) should be available in vehicles, in order to help the driver to communicate with a deaf or hearing impaired passenger. Drivers should be prepared to write down information, so should always have a pen and paper available; they should make eye contact and speak clearly to enable the passenger to lip-read. If a passenger is accompanied by a sign language interpreter, it is important for the driver to speak to the person, not the interpreter.

For people with impaired hearing it is especially important that the driver properly announces his or her arrival, and does not simply sound the horn of the vehicle, as this may not be heard by the customer.

Speech Impairments:
If a person has a speech impairment, then the driver must be patient, and, if not understanding what the customer says straight away, say so, rather than pretend to have understood, or merely guess what the person is trying to say.

Wheelchair Users:
For wheelchair users who wish to transfer from a wheelchair in order to travel in a PHV, the driver should ask what assistance the passenger requires, before touching either the passenger or the wheelchair. The driver should also be familiar with the operation of ramps and swivel seats etc. that might be used to help the passenger to get into the vehicle.

Ambulant Disabled People:
For passengers who have difficulty walking or with getting in and out of vehicles, the driver should be prepared to get out of the vehicle and hold the door open, help with luggage, provide an arm to hold on to, adjust the seat, if necessary, etc.. Many Multipurpose Passenger Vehicles (MPV) or people carriers are equipped with a step that can be used to reduce the height of the step up from the kerbside. As with other devices designed to help passengers to get into and out of the vehicle, where such a step is available, the driver should be aware that it is there, and should be familiar with its functionality.

People with Learning Disabilities:
Many people with learning disabilities are helped in having the confidence to travel independently by undergoing 'travel training'. It might be useful for people who work in the transport industry, including PHV drivers, to attend such courses, in order to encourage a better understanding of the problems that people with learning disabilities face. When considering how best to help people with learning disabilities, it is difficult to generalise, since behavioural and learning disabilities can be manifested in many different ways; however, there are some ways in which the driver can ease communication; for example:

1) Allow plenty of time for understanding to take place;

2) Make a special effort to be calm and patient;

3) Do not suggest an answer at the end of a question;

4) Use clear and unambiguous language (i.e. avoid jargon, and do not overcomplicate issues);

5) Do not patronise adults with learning disabilities by treating them as children;

6) Be aware that many people with learning disabilities have problems with cash transactions, so make an effort to count cash slowly, into their hand. It is important that the passenger is confident of having received the correct sum of change.

People with Mental Health Problems:
Some people are restricted in their freedom to travel as a result of having mental health problems. This might entail the taking of medication that might affect the person's behaviour or demeanour, and drivers should be aware that they might, for example, appear to instead be under the influence of alcohol. Because of other people's reactions to them, therefore, people with mental health problems are often discouraged from travelling by mainstream public transport, so the private hire sector provides a convenient alternative. How to relate to such passengers should clearly be included in disability awareness training.

One in four of us at some time in our life will experience mental ill health. To ignore this statistic is to blatantly discriminate against this body of people; yet the needs of people with mental health difficulties are often ignored within disability awareness training programmes.

People who might be Disfigured:
Similarly, people who have a disfigurement of some kind might feel limited in their desire to use mainstream public transport, and so might prefer the door-to-door service offered by PHVs. Again, drivers should be courteous, patient and understanding, and, of course, should avoid staring.

The safe carriage of wheelchair users in vehicles

These issues are relevant in the context of larger, MPV-type PHV vehicles. It is most important that drivers do not cause wheelchair users to travel sideways in their wheelchair, and that they are trained in the use of all relevant belts and other restraint and locking mechanisms. The operator should make sure that such training is up-to-date, so that drivers are aware of new research concerning the safe carriage of passengers in wheelchairs. Drivers need to be aware of the correct use of swivel seats, if fitted; when used, drivers should ensure that the seat is correctly locked in position when it is back inside the vehicle.

Published: 03 December 2003

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