The Bafta nominee said the driver told her it was “too difficult” to drop her at an accessible entrance, and it wasn’t his problem if she couldn’t use stairs. Then, after a payment dispute, she said he took her wheelchair, put it in his boot and refused to give it back. Madeley described the incident as traumatic while giving this odd news.
Transport for London has confessed to the “utterly appalling” event. Graham Robinson, TfL’s general manager to taxi and private hire, stated that they had contacted Ruth for more details to carry out a full and urgent investigation. The actress, from Bolton, was nominated for a Bafta for her breakthrough role in the BBC’s Don’t Take My Baby before starring in 2019’s Years and Years. She wrote on Instagram that the driver of the private hire taxi told her it was “too difficult” to drop her at the station’s accessible entrance because of heavy traffic and that he “had seen me stand & so ‘knew I could walk’”.
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When she told the driver that she could not manage stairs, he proceeded to tell her that it was HER problem, not his,” she explained further. Then, as if that wasn’t traumatic enough, the driver demanded his fare even though the journey had been a prepaid one. When she tried explaining that he became very agitated on the street &, in sheer frustration, HE TOOK HER WHEELCHAIR from behind her without warning & carried it away to put in the boot of the taxi. He, then, left her on the side of the road.
The actress’s mother managed to grab the wheelchair, although the driver had tried his best to stop her, told Madeley. Taxis and selected wheelchair-accessible private hire vehicles to hold a legal duty to provide wheelchair users following the Equality Act 2010. This involves a commitment to give mobility assistance with no additional charge.
Madeley said that when she tried to report this odd news to the Metropolitan Police, she was told it was not a hate crime and that no criminal act had occurred. She added that she was shut down and made to feel like she was making a fuss over nothing. Then, after more fighting & asking for support, the police told her that nothing could be done. No notice to the taxi driver or the firm was given, no accountability, no consequences….till now has been reported.
Madeley was nominated for the Bafta Awards for best actress in 2016. Actress Ruth Madeley has recounted how a taxi driver took her wheelchair after an argument in front of a London train station. The Bafta nominee, who starred in the BBC One drama Years And Years, said the man refused to leave her outside the accessible entrance to Euston Station because heavy traffic made it “too difficult” and “would take too long. weather”.
The 33-year-old woman, who has spina bifida, said the driver told her he had seen her get up and “knew she could walk” before demanding the fare, even though the trip was prepaid.
During the dispute, Madeley said she took her wheelchair, put it in the trunk of her car, and refused to return it to her. A Met spokesperson told the BBC that, while appreciating the upset caused, the force would not investigate because the incident is “not a criminal matter”. At the end of June, the incident occurred when it was stated that Madeley is to star in BBC Two’s future true drama Independence Day?
How Disabled Rights Were Won
Marking the passing of the Disability Discrimination Act, the film is based on the true story of the people behind a campaign of direct action that lead to significant steps forward in the battle for disabled civil rights in Britain. Madeley said her experience reflected the discrimination experienced by disabled people “every day” and was “clear proof that the fight for disability rights is far from over”.
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