Irish Taxi Forum
Public Area => Taxi Talk => Topic started by: Dr. Martin Gooter Bling on August 22, 2018, 06:06:25 pm
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https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/bus-eireann-ordered-to-pay-5k-to-autistic-boy-who-was-not-allowed-eat-toast-in-back-of-school-taxi-863835.html (https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/bus-eireann-ordered-to-pay-5k-to-autistic-boy-who-was-not-allowed-eat-toast-in-back-of-school-taxi-863835.html)
Bus Eireann has been ordered to pay €5,000 to an autistic teenager over not accommodating the boy to eat toast in the backseat of his school taxi.
In the Equal Status case, the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) found that Bus Eireann discriminated against the 16-year-old on the grounds of his disability.
WRC Adjudication, Gerry Rooney has ordered Bus Eireann to pay €5,000 to the school child and also further ordered Bus Eireann to consult with the boy's family without delay in order to reasonably accommodate the needs of the teenager over his school transport needs.
In his report, Mr Rooney records that the boy has autism with severe impairments in social interaction and communication skills
In the case, the boy’s parents submitted that due to their son’s particular dietary requirements he would have his breakfast in the taxi en route, and where his breakfast included a slice of toast, a banana, and fruit juice.
The parents maintained that due to their son’s diagnosis of autism, his routine was an extremely important element of his life and where any changes in his routine could cause difficulty and regression in his development.
New taxi
From 2015, the boy’s needs were facilitated by a taxi-driver contracted by Bus Eireann to provide the school transport service to a special needs school.
In 2016 a new taxi driver was appointed by Bus Eireann to provide the driving, and where the routine of the teenager eating his breakfast while in transit to the school each morning was accommodated without a problem.
However, on January 27, 2017, the new taxi driver said that he was getting a new taxi worth €60,000 and asked that the teen no longer eat toast in the cab of the new taxi.
The boy’s father indicated that his son had been allowed to eat toast with the previous and current driver and it was a part of his daily routine, and the decision not to be allowed eat the toast was a very distressing change to his son’s routine.
The taxi driver maintained his opposition to the boy eating toast in the back of the cab in spite of the parents’ offer to buy the taxi driver a portable vacuum so that he could hoover whatever dust fell.
The taxi driver replied that he had a portable vacuum but did not want the clean up after the teenager
The taxi driver told the parents that it was a Bus Eireann policy not to eat in the school transport, and there were health and safety issues that related to eating on the transport.
Discrimination
The parents contacted Bus Eireann a number of days later and spoke to an Inspector who indicated that the taxi driver was being reasonable and told the parents that the teenager will be given one week to stop eating the toast and that was the policy, where it was based on health and safety grounds.
The boy’s parents advised that they requested the Inspector to send them any information on Bus Eireann’s no eating policy.
As they received no information they argued that a no eating policy did not exist.
The parents stated that despite their attempts to get the information they had failed to find a no eating policy on Bus Eireann’s website, or in the terms and conditions regarding the provision of school transportation services.
The parents contested there was no reason to stop their son from eating his toast, and in stopping him eating the priority was the appearance of a new taxi rather than the reasonable accommodation of their son.
On that basis, the parents submitted their son was discriminated against on the basis of his disability.
They stated that as a consequence of these changes their son stopped eating breakfast altogether and that the effect of the decision not to reasonably accommodate him had a significant impact on his behaviour and development.
The boy’s parents submitted that in general, they experience particular challenges regarding their son’s diet with having to provide him with a very set menu and type of food on a daily basis throughout the year, even when on holidays.
They submitted that the decision not to reasonably accommodate their son compounded the discrimination he experienced.
Bus Eireann denied that it discriminated against the boy and submitted that the services were being provided by a taxi subcontracted by Bus Eireann.
Bus Eireann submitted that the correct respondent to the complaint should be the taxi company that was providing the services.
However, in his findings, Mr Rooney said that the evidence provided demonstrates that the boy’s disability requires structure and routine in his life to accommodate his disability.
Mr Rooney stated that the boy’s care plan identifies that his parents and carers have developed eating programs and routines, which enables him to eat frequently, and gradually increase the range of foods which he will eat.
Mr Rooney said that toast is specifically mentioned as a food of choice of the teenager.
Mr Rooney states that the evidence provided supports that the teenager was facilitated in this routine from 2015 and up until January 2017.
He said: “It appeared the changes took place due to the taxi driver that was providing the service on behalf of Bus Eireann acquiring a new taxi, and where the taxi driver at that stage decided he did not want the complainant to eat toast any more in the taxi.”
Mr Rooney said that as the provider of the service he find Bus Eireann had an obligation to facilitate the specific needs of the boy’s disability.
Mr Rooney stated that the evidence shows that despite written correspondence from the boy’s parents to Bus Eireann, “it failed to reasonably engage with the parents to review the matter and to consider how the complainant could be reasonably accommodated”.
He said that in reality, the granting of permission for the boy “to eat toast in the taxi is not an accommodation that would give rise to a cost, other than a nominal cost, if at all”.
He said: “There was no evidence provided that when the Complainant was being reasonably accommodated previously that any soiling of the taxi occurred, our if soiling had occurred in the past that it presented an unreasonable cost to the taxi driver or the Respondent.”
Mr Rooney stated that whilst Bus Eireann was relying on health and safety risks, it failed to demonstrate where any risk assessment had been made of the teenager’s eating requirements due to his disability.
Mr Rooney also stated that Bus Eireann failed to demonstrate it consulted with the teenager or his representatives in deciding not to accommodate his eating needs, or to consult on the consequences to the teenager for any change in the accommodation that had been provided to him over the previous 18 months.
He said that on this basis he found Bus Eireann is in breach of its obligations under the Equal Status of the Act and has failed to reasonably accommodate the teenager.
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the ironic thing is the taxi driver is the hungry cunt in the tale.
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the ironic thing is the taxi driver is the hungry cunt in the tale.
School run, special needs kid. A throw over the seat wudda sorted out €60k newness.
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It’s illegal to ate or drink in a taxi.
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The taxi driver must be making some money if he is getting a taxi for 60 k
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VW Transporter new is 60k, and similar vans. Plenty of new vans on the road in the last few years
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Jeez I had no idea they were that kind of money
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It’s illegal to ate or drink in a taxi.
Tis indeed. In this instance I`d break the law.
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Tis indeed. In this instance I`d break the law.
Ya see, I wouldn’t
I seen a post on Facebook yesterday about some mother whose son is autistic and although shops are doing autistic evenings, she feels the staff should be trained to deal with kids better,.
I’m sorry but is she for real??
Should all staff in every shop be trained to deal with every kind of disability, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dementia, aspergers, autism etc etc. I’m sorry but back in my day there was fuck all of these ailments @nd the parents just dealt with the child and didn’t expect everyone else to bend over backwards because their child has “a label”
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They existed then too....just had larger families to cover....every generation thinks it's the first to walk this planet. The labels weren't there though...if there was any "shame" the person was consigned to some institution...mental illness is more recent but nothing to do with any of the things mentioned. Everyone was "mad" or if you had few quid..."eccentric".
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Tis indeed. In this instance I`d break the law.
Ya see, I wouldn’t
I seen a post on Facebook yesterday about some mother whose son is autistic and although shops are doing autistic evenings, she feels the staff should be trained to deal with kids better,.
I’m sorry but is she for real??
Should all staff in every shop be trained to deal with every kind of disability, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dementia, aspergers, autism etc etc. I’m sorry but back in my day there was fuck all of these ailments @nd the parents just dealt with the child and didn’t expect everyone else to bend over backwards because their child has “a label”
Yeah, dunno. The 60k motor is different. The guy obviously knew the score with the lad and had no issue with him before the 60k upgrade.
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It’s illegal to ate or drink in a taxi.
ILLEGAL DO TELL
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It’s illegal to ate or drink in a taxi.
ILLEGAL DO TELL
Seen it in print.
https://www.nationaltransport.ie/taxi-and-bus-licensing/taxi/operating-an-spsv/refusing-a-passenger/ (https://www.nationaltransport.ie/taxi-and-bus-licensing/taxi/operating-an-spsv/refusing-a-passenger/)
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It’s illegal to ate or drink in a taxi.
ILLEGAL DO TELL
Seen it in print.
https://www.nationaltransport.ie/taxi-and-bus-licensing/taxi/operating-an-spsv/refusing-a-passenger/ (https://www.nationaltransport.ie/taxi-and-bus-licensing/taxi/operating-an-spsv/refusing-a-passenger/)
Illegal is not the same as grounds to refuse service .Can you be charged by a gard for eating an Aero bar in a taxi .
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Would the gardai be bothered their bollox responding to such a request,considering they can't be bothered responding to more serious incidents ?
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It’s illegal to ate or drink in a taxi.
ILLEGAL DO TELL
Have a look at the in car information card when you are next in your taxi.
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It’s illegal to ate or drink in a taxi.
ILLEGAL DO TELL
Seen it in print.
https://www.nationaltransport.ie/taxi-and-bus-licensing/taxi/operating-an-spsv/refusing-a-passenger/ (https://www.nationaltransport.ie/taxi-and-bus-licensing/taxi/operating-an-spsv/refusing-a-passenger/)
Illegal is not the same as grounds to refuse service .Can you be charged by a gard for eating an Aero bar in a taxi .
True, but if`n they`re sleeveens and start eatin after they get in, then you have the legal right to get them out, ergo: eatin in a taxi is not legal
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A bit of fucking toast is hardly gonna wreck a car.. The driver was just being a cunt imo
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AND the parents of special needs kids are all wondering why there is not a sufficent amount of Taxies to bring their children to school ?
Back in the day (about 2010) when I started doing special needs school runs, there were no SNA's required on board, I knew all my kids and all their parents by first name, I got Christmas presents and cards from their parents, we used to pick flowers by the roadside and eat ice-cream in the summer.
Today it is different, it is everything by the letter of the P.C. law.
On one of the last school runs that I covered about 3 years ago, my wheelie was examined and scrutinised in detail by some young P.C. SNA and with her headmistress in tow checking everything on her laptop, I didn't care too much about the 30 minute wait while they checked every restraint in the bus, as I was only covering a job fer a friend, but I never did that run ever again and I have since completely given up on any special needs runs.
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A bit of fucking toast is hardly gonna wreck a car.. The driver was just being a cunt imo
The driver was an idiot to allow it in the first place, the rules are No eating or Drinking in a Taxi,
he made a rod fer his own back by allowing it and then stopping it.
And the parents seem like real nice folk fer sueing the state over such a minor issue,
I wonder will their child ever see the inside of a school Taxi ever again ?
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The road to hell is paved with good intentions. The only way to cope is to be as inflexible as everyone else appears to be. Some people mistake kindness for weakness.
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I understand the routine for the kid bit but what happened for the previous 16yrs,what changed that the kid had to eat toast in the taxi for those two years......the driver shouldn't have allowed it to begin with....and as John says,the changing of vehicle and driver didn't seem to affect the kids routine.
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Moral of he story: the autistic kid wasn't the one looking for a few quid......elephants like to wear E on their pyjamas.
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Have they secured transport for the kid with toast eating facilities or have their actions made it difficult for them to do so....they have 5k now anyway.....and have to create a new routine either way.
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Morphy Richards are working on the new profile as you speak.
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Well at least it wasn't a kebab eating routine.
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Ken Wood.
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It’s illegal to ate or drink in a taxi.
Tis indeed. In this instance I`d break the law.
More accurately, you'd turn a blind eye to the passenger breaking the law. I'm sure we all do from time to time as circumstances deem the same to be appropriate.
Has anyone ever been prosecuted for eating in a taxi? AS DM alludes to, the Gardai have little or no interest in investigating crime up above in Dublin. Anything less than GBH or murder is nothing more than a futile form filling exercise.
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It’s illegal to ate or drink in a taxi.
Tis indeed. In this instance I`d break the law.
More accurately, you'd turn a blind eye to the passenger breaking the law. I'm sure we all do from time to time as circumstances deem the same to be appropriate.
Has anyone ever been prosecuted for eating in a taxi? AS DM alludes to, the Gardai have little or no interest in investigating crime up above in Dublin. Anything less than GBH or murder is nothing more than a futile form filling exercise.
I stand corrected. Yeah, the cabbage allowed the kid to eat his toast prior to €60k brainfart.
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I had a weird experience this morning so soon after reading this story about the autistic teenager.
A young woman got into my taxi this morning and wanted to go to the suburbs. She had MS (or one of those syndromes where the limbs don't work properly) and she couldn't speak properly either. She wasn't disabled enough that she launched into eating about 3 McD's breakfast sandwiches on the way, along with a McD's soft drink and a bottle of Coke. Then she started messing with the radio, constantly changing stations. I don't think she liked one station because I think she starting crying at one stage.
Recalling the story above, I kept my mouth shut, face facing ahead and kept driving. Also, the last thing you want is for the Guards to be called and have me, Mr White Taxidriver, blaming a poor harmless disabled girl for whatever...
Anyways, we got to the destination. She paid and got out. She took half her rubbish and left the rest. And walked back the way we'd driven as if in perfect health.
Why am I posting this story? While we were driving along, she had a big brown leather bag on her lap all the way. Now I'm wondering if she had a hidden camera in the bag, waiting to catch me being abusive or whatever. Maybe she was an actor for a TV show? Or someone looking for compo?
I'm not paranoid, honest lol
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Here's a question I have asked before,but didn't get an answer to it .your driving along ,2 people in the car. One of them pukes ,you point out the soliage charge. They say they will not pay,but offer to clean the car to the same standard as it was before one got sick.what can you do if they offer to clean it and won't pay ?
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It’s not up to them to clean, if they have puked they are most likely pissed and probably can’t ev3n clean their hands, never mind YOUR car. Pay up or I’d call the guards
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^^^^^I was on the Mespil rank a few months ago and a bloke was walking up the rank asking to get to town for a fiver.When he moved on to another driver I noticed a cameraman standing on the opposite side.I called him back to see what was he up to and he was looking for an angry fuk off type reaction for the camera but all drivers were too polite so he went somewhere else.Seeing a taxi man get irrate and lose his temper is apparently funny now?
Separately I was in Templebar last Saturday and there were lads picking and choosing where they wanted to go.One Irish gimp in an old blue Mondeo told me he was on a booking but then proceeded to negotiate a fare when we walked away.He would have gotten €15 quid for a 10 minute drive.Dopey fuk.I got a cab 2 mins later on the North quays.The public are getting shitty service out there again at night so don't be surprised if the media start calling for Ubers ..more taxis etc...taxi drivers aren't liked again because they're acting the bollox like the bad old days.Expect more bad press.
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If theyre cleaning your car they're wasting even more of your time. Ive had cunts offer to do this in the past, I wouldn't have it. When it comes to the soilage charge I'm fair enough because not all pukages are equal and not all pukers destroy your car for the night. If I'm off the road its the maximum + the fare.
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MFH that's going on a long time now ,drivers Rollung down the window where are you going ? and if the answer doesn't suit,they just drive on.at the risk of being ridiculed,nearly all reports I hear about this kind of thing,is about African drivers.i know I'm going to be crucified now for saying that,but that is what in told by the punters
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Here's a question I have asked before,but didn't get an answer to it .your driving along ,2 people in the car. One of them pukes ,you point out the soliage charge. They say they will not pay,but offer to clean the car to the same standard as it was before one got sick.what can you do if they offer to clean it and won't pay ?
what sort of cunt would'nt be mortified and would start challenging you after they've destroyed your car?
get to fuck they'd be told very lively.
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Well I have had a few pukes in my car,and they Always offer to clean it themselves, they just won't pay
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now that i think of it i don't think i've ever had a puker who did'nt realise the gravity of the situation and automatically comply with my demand of the soilage charge,. Y'know, your stinking bodily fluid sprayed all over my fucking property. The cunts.
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I had to resort to calling the Gardai once, two women just got out and walked away after one had puked. Puts you in a hopeless situation, if it was a bloke you could do something but with women there's nothing you can do... either watch them walk away and put it down to experience or get wound up (like I did) and get the Gardai involved. I did get paid eventually in that case, despite them giving false names/addresses to the Garda in the first instance. Dunno if they were ever charged with that offence.
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Had a similar experience with two fellas one night.one of them sneaked a full pint in to the car,and when he was getting out the cunt dropped the whole pint all over the back.they just got out and walked away .they wouldn't even pay the fare. I called the cops,but in STILL waiting
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I had that one night meself.. 2 yunwuns and a yunfella jumped into me car, one of the yunwuns had a full pint in her hand and dropped it on the back seat before I could tell her to get the fuck out.. I told her she owed me 140 and they all fucked off to get another taxi so I made sure no-one else took them. Eventually they agreed to come to Fitzgibbon St station and one of the Guards (a Dub) tore strips off the yunwun for destroying me car. I got paid that night but only because I brought the problem to the garda station... Manys the night I was left waiting for an imaginary garda car to come to me aid
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^^^^^I was on the Mespil rank a few months ago and a bloke was walking up the rank asking to get to town for a fiver.When he moved on to another driver I noticed a cameraman standing on the opposite side.I called him back to see what was he up to and he was looking for an angry fuk off type reaction for the camera but all drivers were too polite so he went somewhere else.Seeing a taxi man get irrate and lose his temper is apparently funny now?
Separately I was in Templebar last Saturday and there were lads picking and choosing where they wanted to go.One Irish gimp in an old blue Mondeo told me he was on a booking but then proceeded to negotiate a fare when we walked away.He would have gotten €15 quid for a 10 minute drive.Dopey fuk.I got a cab 2 mins later on the North quays.The public are getting shitty service out there again at night so don't be surprised if the media start calling for Ubers ..more taxis etc...taxi drivers aren't liked again because they're acting the bollox like the bad old days.Expect more bad press.
Nothing wrong with a little interview and profiling all in cause of staying safe, And find out if they have the fare,
We only have seconds to make decisions, still don't always get it right.
When did we ever get good press from anyone public included,
Do I care,
Do the NTA have a 24/7 emergency line, if I'm out in the subs ,
Do the wasters in blue give a fuck about Taxi drivers,
NO,
So I'll do whatever it takes,
I make the rules,
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Here's a question I have asked before,but didn't get an answer to it .your driving along ,2 people in the car. One of them pukes ,you point out the soliage charge. They say they will not pay,but offer to clean the car to the same standard as it was before one got sick.what can you do if they offer to clean it and won't pay ?
Every fare is different and I have had both situations, the first being 3 young girls, one puked and her friends were very polite and I allowed them to clean the cab and pay only the fare.
Another was a very arrogant young lad who barfed and then attempted to clean it with his hoodie, he was marched in to Angelsea street Garda station and paid both fare and full soilage charge.
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Well I have had a few pukes in my car,and they Always offer to clean it themselves, they just won't pay
The best place to ask a customer fer a soilage charge payment is parked up outside a Garda station.