During a typical workday on Friday, Chan Wei-sheng (詹惟勝) was driving his minivan taxi at 30kph through the city, taking care to slow down before stopping at red lights to avoid abrupt movements.
Chan was driving an elderly man who has to use a wheelchair because he has a cast on one leg. After he was released from hospital, the man’s family was worried about how he would get around, but fortunately, the Taipei City Government launched a wheelchair-accessible taxi service in February. In addition, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications is offering taxi drivers a subsidy of NT$400,000 (US$13,500) to buy wheelchair-friendly cabs.
While some cities offer the Fu-Kang Bus wheelchair-accessible service, it is only available to those who are officially registered as handicapped. By contrast, the wheelchair-accessible taxi service is available to anyone with a mobility problem — including temporary ones — and even to those who do not, Chan said.
Photo: Lin Hsiang-mei, Liberty Times
Currently, 10 wheelchair-accessible minivan taxis are in operation in Taipei. The difference between these cabs and regular ones is that the back seat has been modified to accommodate a wheelchair. The imported minivans feature a sliding door and a ramp that can be lowered from the trunk of the vehicle so passengers can board the taxi unassisted, eliminating the need to hold on to others or be carried when going in and out of the taxi.
The minivan taxis carry a price tag of about NT$1.6 million. The ministry’s subsidy is meant to cover some of this expense, but drivers must pay the rest, meaning that Chan had to take out a loan of more than NT$1 million to set up his service.
However, Chan and fellow driver Chiang Shu-sheng (姜書生) say they incurred the debt willingly because it enables them to provide a worthwhile service.
Chiang used to own a business, but had to declare bankruptcy after he was defrauded by clients and had his house repossessed by the bank.
The 55-year-old Chiang said he took up taxi driving because “it is a low-risk enterprise where you are paid in cash.”
After driving a cab for two years, he worked as a real-estate agent, and drove city and a tourist buses before eventually returning to taxis.
“The second time around, I decided to treat my taxi like a storefront. I refurbished it, added leather upholstery and am planning to install a karaoke machine in it,” he said.
Though Chiang joked that his sole motivation to offer the wheelchair service was the NT$400,000 government subsidy, he said the real reason was a personal one.
Eight years ago, Chiang’s 85-year-old foster mother had to have her legs amputated due to diabetes. Whenever she had go to the hospital or to the bank, she had to depend on Chiang to carry her between the vehicle and her chair.
After realizing that she was very uncomfortable about having to depend on him, Chiang was searching fervently for a solution when he saw an advertisement for the wheelchair-accessible taxi service.
“The most important thing for me is that my mother can ride in the car comfortably and with dignity,” he said. “My foster parents raised me and I owe them a lifetime of gratitude. I want to take care of them in their old age.”
For Chan, the inspiration to offer a cab service catering to the handicapped was his children.
His son, now a second-grader, contracted a high fever when he was just four months old and was subsequently diagnosed with Kawasaki syndrome, an autoimmune disease affecting the lymph nodes, skin and blood vessels.
Chan’s family lived in constant fear of the boy’s death until he passed the age of two without experiencing the fatal coronary artery problems associated with the disease. However, he has begun to show signs of slow mental development, Chan said.
His six-year-old daughter is also exhibiting developmental problems, as she has speech difficulties and is displaying autistic tendencies, he added.
Chan said these experiences have made him more attuned to those with special needs.
“In the past, when I drove a regular taxi, I only thought of transporting passengers to their destination. Now, I am much more aware of the needs of passengers with mobility problems,” he said. “For example, I never drive faster than 40kph, I make sure never to brake suddenly and I take corners very slowly.”
Chan said driving a wheelchair-accessible cab was more rewarding than driving a regular one because he got to help those in need.
He recounted how on Tomb Sweeping Day this year, he had taken a paralyzed man who had suffered a spinal cord injury to worship at his family’s graves, which the man had not done for more than 10 years because of a lack of transportation.
The man’s family filmed him getting in and out of Chan’s taxi in his wheelchair and posted the video online, prompting a big surge in customers seeking to hire Chan and his fellow drivers.
Chan said most of his passengers are respectful and friendly, often engaging him in conversation. By contrast, when he drove a regular cab he said he often met rude passengers who smoked, chewed betel nuts, or drunkenly shouted abuse at him.
“In the past, passengers came in and went out without any interaction. Now, I feel ‘needed.’ When elderly passengers thank me for my service, the feeling of happiness I get lasts for a long time,” he said.
“Handicapped people pay taxes just like everyone else. However, the government does very little for them,” Chan said.
Despite having had to pay off the loan for five years, Chan said it had been well worth it.
“At times, I work up to 15 hours a day, but I have a steady stream of customers. Normally, I work until about 10 or 11pm, then I go home,” he said. “Providing this service is healthier for me than driving a regular cab, but more importantly, it gives me a sense of satisfaction and purpose.”
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