Sunday, August 21, 2011

Disabled riders enjoy access to more taxicabs in St Louis, Mo./ People who park in Disabled Spaces

From stltoday.com; August 21 2011:

ALONG FOR THE RIDE — Ken Leiser

During a recent conference for the National Council on Independent Living in downtown St. Louis, participants with disabilities were able to board a new, accessible fleet of taxicabs to get around town.

In recent months, the number of taxicabs outfitted with wheelchair lifts and driven by specially trained drivers has grown from one to 11 in the St. Louis area.

"This is something the disabled community has not had," said Ron Klein, executive director of the Metropolitan Taxicab Commission.

Three providers — Metro West Transport, Airport Best Taxi LLC and SBNA Airport Taxi — have entered the marketplace with 10 of the accessible cabs. Harris Cab already fielded one accessible cab.

Airport Best rolled out its service a couple of weeks ago, said Paraquad attorney Kimberly Barge. Paraquad secured a federal grant to purchase the accessible vehicles and is operating them under a contract with Airport Best.

In conducting some research with Washington University on the need for accessible taxis, Paraquad learned of the federal New Freedom grants targeting projects that "go above and beyond" the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Barge said.

"It just allows people to spontaneously schedule or request an accessible taxicab to take a trip at a moment's notice," Barge said.

For years, the Metro transit agency has offered Call-A-Ride service. People taking ADA-eligible trips call up to three to five days in advance of the day they need the curb-to-curb service. Still, the van service is available only for trips that begin and end within three-quarters of a mile of an existing bus line or stop.

"Metro has been doing the heavy lifting for the disabled community up until this point in time," Klein said. "Metro's service is very limited. It doesn't allow for any spontaneity."

Metro West owner Ezezew Biru bought five silver Dodge Caravans to provide the service. He said he got the idea from telephone inquiries from people needing accessible cabs. "I didn't know where to refer them," he said.

He shared his idea with the Taxicab Commission, and after a meeting with the staff there he filled out an application. Biru said last week that he began phasing in the accessible taxicabs in April.

Every Sunday, a couple of regular customers call for rides to church, he said. During the week, he gets calls for taxi trips to and from the airport and local hospitals.

Meantime, Klein said he's trying to get the word out to disabled residents that the accessible cabs are available. He said the commission will monitor the demand for the next 18 months.

There are links on the taxicab commission's website, and Klein said other taxicab companies are being asked to refer riders with special needs to Airport Best and Metro West.

"All over the country, this is the trend," Klein said. "You started to see the recognized need for more disabled-accessible taxis."

PEOPLE WHO PARK IN DISABLED SPACES

Bill Morton of Litchfield, Ill., wrote Ride in response to last week's column on people who illegally park in spaces for the disabled. Here's what he shared:

"With today's technology, I don't know why someone hasn't started a campaign against this practice. I did. First, I have only one leg to establish my handicap. I went to a drugstore, only to find a motorcycle parked in a handicap parking space. I took out my telephone and took a picture with the license plate plainly visible. I got the phone number of the police chief's office and forwarded it to him with the message: 'Here is your evidence; now do something!' A couple of days later, I saw in the local paper's 'Police Beat' that (the motorcycle driver) had been given a ticket for parking in a handicap zone. It was a $100 lesson for him."

Morton suggested Ride launch a campaign in which people snap pictures of violators and forward them to law enforcement. Interesting idea, but campaigns are something newspapers generally prefer to report on rather than lead.

#Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/traffic/along-for-the-ride/article_e4dd2187-4fcc-5d9b-b512-49aa693c9d2e.html#ixzz1VfVhGpHN

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