Disabled welcome debut of taxi able to take wheelchairs
An organisation representing the disabled has welcomed the introduction of a hybrid, seven-seater minivan, which will enter service in the New Territories in August.
Describing taxis now in service as 'hostile' to the needs of the disabled, Leo Lee Tze-yu, of Rehabilitation Alliance Hong Kong, said the new, spacious cabs would improve the mobility of people in wheelchairs.
'In the common taxi, the seat is often too low and disabled passengers can easily slip on to the floor if they do not hold on tight enough,' Mr Lee said.
'It is like fighting a battle riding in an ordinary taxi.'
Mr Lee was commenting on an announcement yesterday by Lai Ming-hung, secretary-general of the Hong Kong Public Light Bus Owner and Driver Association, who said his group had won Transport Department approval to introduce two wheelchair-friendly minivans in August, and that it hoped to introduce another 18 by the end of next year.
One of the main passenger target groups for the new taxis would be disabled people or those using wheelchairs, Mr Lai said.
The long-awaited taxis - converted seven-seater Toyota Alphard minivans - have a back row of seats that can be folded up to make room for a person sitting in a wheelchair.
The taxis are also fitted with safety belts to secure a wheelchair. At HK$450,000 each, the price is almost double that of a conventional taxi.
'Our aim is to improve local taxi services,' said Mr Lai, who presented one of the new taxis to the media yesterday. 'Of course, it is not a rehabilitation taxi. As a normal taxi, it is much more spacious and each seat is fitted with a headrest and armrests.
'But the Transport Department has been very unhelpful. During two years of discussions, we asked them what to do to meet their requirements, but they did not say.'
Mr Lai said the association hoped to introduce a new fare structure for the taxis but, as required by law, the same fares would apply for now.
Mr Lee, who is confined to a wheelchair, said there was 'an acute shortage of transport services for the disabled'. When applying for transport from a rehabilitation bus service, 'sometimes we may have to reserve seats up to six months in advance. But who knows where they will go six months beforehand?' He urged the government to encourage more companies to introduce similar taxis.
Mr Lai said the first two taxis would operate only in the New Territories, but it was hoped that the 18 taxis for which licences were still being negotiated would be allowed to operate throughout Hong Kong.
He said because there would only be 20 such taxis, he did not expect them to have a big impact on conventional taxis' business.
