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Judge Grants Order to Suspend Disabled Taxi Service Ordinance

Posted on: Thursday, 13 October 2005, 12:00 CDT

By Mike Gorrell, The Salt Lake Tribune

Oct. 13--A Utah judge granted a temporary restraining order Wednesday to block Salt Lake City from enforcing a new ordinance that requires taxi companies to have one vehicle equipped to handle handicapped passengers.

Third District Judge Joseph Fratto granted the request filed by Handi Vans Inc. and PickMeUp Medical Transport, two "special transportation providers" licensed by Salt Lake City to supply vehicles that can be used by people in electronic wheelchairs. He tentatively set an Oct. 20 hearing on the matter.

Handi Vans and PickMeUp argued, with support from Salt Lake City's three taxi companies -- Ute, Yellow and White cabs -- that they already provide the mandated service and that the ordinance will hurt their businesses financially.

"The problem is that it can't be done at [current] taxi fares and the city is basically telling the taxi cabs to subsidize it. And that will affect the service of established providers," said Lee Anne Walker, owner of Handi Vans.

The judge's ruling disappointed members of the Disabled Action Rights Coalition who view the ordinance as a civil rights measure that satisfies their right to "fair access to what everybody else has," said executive director Jerry Costley. "It's a myth that people with disabilities want special services and things that cost more."

Assistant City Attorney J. Wesley Robinson said the requirement, which was the subject of public hearings last summer when the taxi ordinance was up for city council approval, was crafted to satisfy an "unmet need" for affordable transportation for people in wheelchairs.

"The mayor and city council are very committed to this ordinance. They see a need for greater access to on-demand transportation for disabled people in the city," he said.

Robinson noted that the ordinance also gives cab companies the right to hire a third-party provider to fulfill the requirement.

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Source: The Salt Lake Tribune

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