The
"Free Taxicab Driver's Pocket Guide" Easter Seals Project
ACTION (Accessible Community Transportation in Our Nation) is a national
technical assistance project funded through a cooperative agreement
with the United States Department of Transportation, Federal Transit
Administration. It is available in Farsi, Spanish and English.
The
mission of Easter Seals Project ACTION (ESPA) is to encourage and facilitate
cooperation between the disabled and transportation community with the
goal of achieving universal transportation access for the disabled through
the unrestricted transportation for persons with disabilities nationwide,
including transportation to and from jobs.
The
Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association has worked with Easter
Seals Project ACTION to develop the Taxicab Pocket Guide. The guide
is a laminated brochure that outlines the rights and responsibilities
of taxicab drivers and their customers with disabilities.
This
free Taxicab Pocket Guide is also available in Spanish and Farsi as
well as in English. ESPA materials available in translation can be downloaded
and ordered through the online Clearinghouse (www.projectaction.org/clearinghouse)
in the "Translations in Other Languages" browse category.
Clearinghouse
items may also be ordered in print and alternate formats by emailing orders@projectaction.org or calling 1-800-659-6428. All items are free of charge including shipping.
Taxicab Pocket Guide Text
Serving
Customers with Disabilities is Smart Business!
Fifty-four
million people in America today live with disabilities. These people
have jobs, families, classes, meetings, travel plans, and other activities
that keep them on the move.They need transportation, including taxicabs,
to help them get where they're going. Think about it: 54,000,000 fares
just waiting to give you their business!
Smart
business people make it their goal to meet or exceed customers' expectations.
Your customers, including those with disabilities, want and expect good
and safe service. If you treat persons with disabilities with the courtesy
and respect they deserve, you will gain:
•
 |
loyal
customers |
•
|
repeat
business |
•
|
referrals
and additional business |
•
|
increased
revenue |
• |
recognition
and reward |
| • |
personal
satisfaction |
It's
easy to provide good service to customers with disabilities; just follow
these tips on communication and proper support:
Communicating with Customers with Disabilities
Proper
communication with people with disabilities follows the basic rules
of customer service and good manners. It is important to emphasize the
person, not the disability, and to use words that accurately portray
an individual person or situation.
For
example, say a person who uses a wheelchair instead of wheelchair user.
Use a person who is deaf or hard of hearing rather than a deaf person
or hearing impaired and seniors or older adults in place of elderly,
etc.
More tips for communicating with passengers with disabilities:
•
|
Always
have a pad of paper and a pen to use for communication. |
•
|
If
you are picking up a passenger with a hearing impairment, you
cannot blow your horn to let them know of your arrival —
you'll need to knock on their door or use their accessible doorbell. |
| • |
It
is not necessary to raise your voice when speaking to a customer
with a hearing impairment. Raising your voice distorts your lip
movement and makes lip reading difficult. |
General
Guidelines for Serving Customers with Disabilities
•
|
Treat
customers with disabilities as you would like to be treated. |
•
|
Take
the time to identify the customers' needs and determine how best
to serve them when you first meet. |
•
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Never
make assumptions about your customers' physical or mental abilities.
Customers with similar disabilities often have different needs
to make independent travel possible. |
•
|
Ask
customers with disabilities if they need assistance. Don't
automatically think they do. |
• |
Do
not touch a customer without their permission. |
| • |
Speak
directly to customers with disabilities, not their companions. |
| • |
Speak
clearly with a normal tone and speed, unless the customer requests
otherwise. |
| • |
If
you are asked to repeat or write what you said, do so calmly and
pleasantly. |
| • |
Smile,
listen, and show respect. Be friendly and courteous. |
| • |
Talk
to customers at their eye level. It may be appropriate to sit
when having a long conversation with a person using a wheelchair. |
| • |
Give
customers with disabilities the same information and choices that
you give other customers. |
| • |
Solve
problems in a professional manner. |
Serving Customers Who Use Wheelchairs
•
|
People
who use wheelchairs are easy to accommodate so don't pass up the
fare! |
•
|
Ask
the customers how you can assist them. The customers know what
works best for them and must be able to manage their transfer
to the passenger compartment of the taxi. |
•
|
Wheelchairs,
walkers, canes, and other mobility aids are part of the customer's
personal space. |
| • |
Do
not hold or lean on them without the customer's permission |
| • |
Each
wheelchair is unique. Do not make assumptions about how they operate
or store. |
| • |
Whenever
possible, mobility aids such as canes and walkers should travel
in the customer compartment of the taxicab. |
| • |
Wheelchairs
and other large devices can be stored in the trunk. |
| • |
Power
wheelchairs require an accessible vehicle equipped with a lift,
low floor, or a ramp. If your vehicle cannot accommodate a power
chair, call your dispatcher to order an accessible vehicle and
wait with the customer, if possible. If your company does not
own an accessible vehicle, ask the dispatcher how to acquire transportation
to meet the customer's needs. |
Serving
Customers Who Use Service Animals
•
|
Service
animals are highly trained and allowed by law to ride in the customer
compartments of taxicabs. |
•
|
People
with various types of disabilities use service animals. |
•
|
Dogs
are the most common service animals, but other animals may help
people with disabilities. |
•
|
Some,
but not all, service animals wear identification like a tag, vest,
or special harness. |
•
|
If
you are not sure that the animal is a service animal, ask. Believe
the customer's answer! |
| • |
The
owner must stay with the service animal and keep it under control
at all times. Never touch or talk to the service animal when it
is working! |
The ADA in Transportation
The
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) is a civil rights law
that guarantees everyone an equal opportunity to take part in our society.
The
ADA defines a person with a disability as someone with a physical or
mental impairment that greatly limits one or more major life activities,
such as breathing, seeing, hearing, speaking, walking, working, caring
for oneself, doing manual tasks, or learning.
The
ADA promises people with disabilities, including people who use wheelchairs,
equal use of the same public and private transportation services and
programs available to the general public.
Automobiles
are not included in the ADA rules for accessible vehicles. As a result,
companies that generally operate automobiles as a taxicab service are
not required to provide accessible automobiles.
Rights & Responsibilities of Drivers and Customers:
The
law protects both customers with disabilities and taxicab drivers, and
each has their own sets of rights and responsibilities. While these
standards ensure safe and fair treatment for customers and drivers,
they are also a formula for good service!
Drivers
must: offer transportation to a person with a disability unless that
individual:
•
|
acts
in a violent, seriously disruptive, or illegal manner; |
•
|
uses
a mobility aid that is too large for the vehicle to accommodate;
or |
•
|
cannot
transfer from his or her mobility aid to the passenger compartment
of the taxi without the driver's help. |
Serve
customers with disabilities traveling alone and only use the assistance
of family members, companions, or medical/public safety personnel if
the customer requests or agrees to help from such persons.
•
|
Give
the same reservation services to customers with disabilities as
are available to other customers. |
•
|
Do
not charge customers with disabilities extra fees for necessary
assistance. |
For
example, drivers must charge the same amount to stow a wheelchair or
other aid device in the trunk, as they would charge for a piece of luggage.
•
|
Do
not deny service to a customer with a disability solely because
the disability results in appearance or involuntary behavior that
may offend, annoy, or inconvenience the driver. |
•
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Offer
assistance to passengers if requested (not to include actual lifting).
Customers with Disabilities must: |
•
|
Know
whether or not they can use a typical taxicab vehicle. |
•
|
Tell
drivers if they need help and explain what assistance they need. |
•
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Control
their service animals at all times. |
•
|
Know
their destination |
| • |
Pay
their fare. |
If
you would like to order copies of this pocket guide to distribute to
your drivers (there is no cost involved) pleas contact Easter Seals
Project ACTION by phone, fax, e-mail or visit their Website.
1-800-659-6428
• TDD 202-347-7385 • Fax: 202-737-7914
Project_action@opa.easter-seals.org
www.projectaction.org/clearinghouse
Harold
Morgan, TLPA Director of Research & Education, submitted this article.
