A row is brewing between two Dundee taxi associations with opposing opinions over proposals to make all cabs in the city wheelchair accessible.
Dundee Hackney Association chairman Erik Thoresen contacted The Courier to respond to comments made this week by his opposite number at the Dundee Taxi Association, Graeme Stephen, who hit out at the plans tabled by the licensing committee.
Mr Thoresen, who says he is all for the universal use of wheelchair-accessible vehicles (WAVs), was left bemused by Mr Stephen’s comments in which he described the idea as “very bizarre”.
“There is nothing bizarre about it,” said Mr Thoresen. “We can’t discriminate against disabled people and it is not fair to have some drivers in one set of cars and others in saloons. That is discriminatory to the taxi trade.”
Earlier this year the licensing committee put forward the controversial proposal to only permit WAVs in the city as a means of controlling taxi numbers. But the move attracted a mixed response with those opposed upset at the prospect of potentially paying thousands of pounds to convert their vehicles.
It has also been claimed that there is already enough provision in the city to accommodate disabled residents a point which Mr Thoresen does not agree with.
“It is not about how many cabs have wheelchair access and how many don’t,” said Mr Thoresen, who has worked in the taxi trade for 38 years. “It is about not discriminating against any group that is the law.”
He added, “It is not fair to have some drivers with this and others without. They just want to have their cake and eat it and remain with the 50/50 split at the moment.”
Mr Thoresen said, “But the status quo should not remain and Dundee needs to move forward. Everybody should play ball and do the same thing. Nobody should be allowed to discriminate.”
Despite the strong feelings, no decision on the matter has been made. According to licensing committee convener Rod Wallace, no decision will be made until a full consultation is carried out.