A wheelchair-bound Arbroath man was forced to fork out more than £100 to attend his wife’s funeral because of the lack of provision in the county.
The McDonald family were faced with “days of frantic searching” when they were told the only suitable taxi in the Arbroath area would not be available.
Staff at Balhousie Antiquary, Arbroath, helped the family secure a taxi from Brechin, but it came with the eye-watering price tag of £110.
Independent councillor Lois Speed relayed the family’s plight at an Angus Council civic licencing committee meeting last week.
Councillors on the committee approved the appointment of consultants to assess the “extent and nature” of unmet needs in Angus.
The local authority agreed to press both Holyrood and Westminster for extra cash to help taxi operators put more disability-friendly vehicles on the road at a full Angus Council meeting late last year.
Across the whole county there are just seven taxis that provide wheelchair accessibility.
David McDonald requires a wheelchair to get around after suffering a stroke.
His wife, Doreen, passed at the age of 81 in September last year after battling dementia and breast cancer.
Daughter Brenda, 55, said: “We began planning for my mum’s funeral and knew we would have to get dad to the crematorium somehow.
“We then found out the one driver with a suitable car in the area had to get his taxi off the road for work to be done.
“The staff at the care home were brilliant and one knew someone who had a car that would suit, but it was in Brechin.
“I called the council and they said there was no one else in the zone to help, so I had to pay for the Brechin driver to come through.
“It was quite expensive but that didn’t matter in the end, we had to get dad to the funeral.
“There was quite a few days of frantic searching.”
Ms Speed said: “As you could imagine, not only were this family grieving but these emotions were compounded and exasperated by the fact that Mr McDonald may not get to say his final goodbyes to his wife.
“This is the reality of the issue and barriers that disabled people face day in day out.”
