Victory for disabled taxi riders
Donna Martyn's struggle to have accessible cab service for wheelchair and scooter users finally becomes a reality
Susan Ruttan, The Edmonton Journal
Published: 2:30 am
When Donna Martyn called a cab this week to take her to a funeral, it showed up before she was ready.

"I went out early and he was already in the driveway with the ramp down," Martyn said Thursday.

That's a happy change for a woman who has spent the past decade battling for accessible taxi service for people in wheelchairs and scooters.

Martyn, 61, has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the same disease as scientist Stephen Hawking, and uses a scooter.

Three years ago she won a complaint before the Alberta Human Rights and Citizenship Commission, which ruled she had been discriminated against by the city and Yellow Cabs and Co-Op Taxi.

Now a human rights panel has ordered the city and taxi companies to pay Martyn $10,000 in compensation for her long fight.

As well, the panel has ordered the city and Edmonton Taxi Commission to give out enough accessible taxi licences to provide 24-7 taxi service to people in wheelchairs and scooters, equal to that provided for non-disabled people.

The city is doing just that. In late 2006, council approved 35 accessible taxi licences and put up $300,00 to retrofit vans to become accessible taxis. It is contemplating adding another 60 such licences.

There are now 30 accessible taxis on the road in Edmonton. Capital Taxi hopes to get its last five accessible cabs going soon.

Martyn said without the accessible taxis, she was restricted in what she could do. The city's Disabled Adult Taxi Service requires people to book ahead and it limits what they can carry with them, she said.

"We all need this so badly," she said of the accessible taxis. Not having them in the 25 years has kept her mostly at home, she said. "I haven't been able to go to family funerals. I haven't been able to take my cat to the vet. DATS won't even help you with the groceries; you can only take what you yourself can carry."

Now the taxi driver carries Martyn's grocery bags to her house and she tips him.

Janice Ashcroft, the human rights commission lawyer, said the commission will rely on reports from Martyn and other people with disabilities to monitor how well the new system works.

sruttan@thejournal.canwest.com


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