Etude conjointe CEMT-IRU « Amélioration de l’accessibilité des taxis » - Mary Crass

Mary Crass, Administrateur Principal, CEMT

Opening Session

Mr. President, Mr. Secretary General, Esteemed colleagues, Friends:

On behalf of ECMT Secretary General Jack Short, I would like to welcome you all to this seminar to present the results of the IRU-ECMT Report on Improving Access to Taxis.

Jack has been detained abroad due to a family emergency. He asked me to convey to you all his sincere regrets for not being able to join you and his best wishes for a stimulating and enjoyable exchange on this important topic.

Jack has asked me to share with you today a few thoughts of introduction to our discussions on Improving Access to Taxis.

First, the ECMT has been very pleased to have been in partnership with the IRU on the development of this study. Following on from our previous joint study published in 2001 on the Economic Aspects of Taxi Accessibility, this study has enabled us to explore together and identify the specific aspects of the taxi sector – in particular the vehicles -- which have made improving access to this mode of transport particularly challenging for policy makers, operators and vehicles manufacturers.

The ECMT and the IRU in fact agreed from the outset that the success of a study such as this would depend on the engagement of all stakeholders – the authorities, operators and manufacturers – in the dialogue. We are very pleased that together we have been able to facilitate this exchange. Our joint task force -- under the able co-chairing of Ann Frye and Jean-Paul Galle -- has been able to bring together and examine the different perspectives on this problem, and helped by the careful drafting of our expert Philip Oxley, the results have emerged in the report which is now in publication. A Summary of these findings is available here at the seminar today.

Ministers of Transport have recognized the importance of improving taxi accessibility for many years. An ECMT Resolution on Access to Taxis for People with Reduced Mobility was approved by Ministers in 1994. Since then, the promotion of better taxi accessibility has seen progress in a number of countries. It remains however very slow in many others. And given that taxis remain an essential mode of door-to-door transport for a large number of disabled and older people, a concerted effort over the medium to long term is needed from authorities – who need to provide a helpful, realistic legal, regulatory and fiscal context to send the right signals to the market; from vehicle manufacturers, who need to build better accessibility into their future vehicle models and support from operators to among others see that drivers receive training on how to interface effectively with disabled and older passengers.

The publication of this joint study comes at a time of transition for the ECMT. Following decision of our Ministers at their Dublin Council in May of 2006, we are evolving towards a more global International Transport Forum – with wider geographic and topical scope – and a mandate to raise the profile of transport as an essential part of the economy across countries. Our Ministerial Session in Sofia this year will already reflect certain aspects of this reform and the first International Transport Forum will take place in 2008 in Germany.

As we move into this new era for our organization, we look forward to increasing opportunities for involvement of non-governmental partners industry in our work. The excellent cooperation that we have had with the IRU in the context of this study on Improving Access to Taxis will therefore we hope be echoed in other future joint initiatives.

And we carry into this new International Transport Forum the fruit of over 50 years of inter-governmental dialogue on important policy issues for transport. Accessibility has been for much of this time a flagship area of focus for the ECMT. Though the structure of the way our work in this area is seeing change, our commitment to promoting better accessibility in all of our countries will remain. Our web site and network of experts will continue to be sources of information and support to policy makers and transport sector actors. And given that accessibility is an essential part of a high-quality, sustainable transport system, it will no doubt find its focus in a future Forum debate.

In closing, I would like to thank on behalf of the ECMT and its Secretary General Jack Short the European Disability Forum for its guidance and expertise in the preparation of this report, the industry representatives who engaged so constructively in the dialogue to prepare the analysis, and our renewed gratitude to the IRU and its members for their partnership in this initiative.

And thank you all very much for joining us today. We’re very pleased you are with us, and look forward to your reactions to the results of our study and your contributions to the discussion today.

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