I am a disabled woman in my 70s. I am lucky enough to be able to afford the occasional taxi, as I cannot cope with buses.

However, I have almost stopped using taxis because I find the drivers don't seem to want to help me in and out. I would be quite happy if they left their meter running while they did this - I know they have a living to earn. Is this something to do with claims against them, as so many things seem to be these days?

I have met some lovely taxi drivers in the past but, lately, I have been a bit disillusioned. I was in hospital over Christmas. Some of the nurses told me they had to pay double to get to work in a taxi on Christmas Eve. I thought the buses were running a normal service on Christmas Eve and taxis were supposed to charge normal rates? It seems such a shame, when hospital workers don't get good wages, to have to put up with bad, expensive service all round.

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