A Disabled man who struggles to talk clearly was told he would be dropped off in the dark on a country road after a taxi driver got lost, it has been claimed.

A complaint has been lodged with the Taxi Inspection Centre - also known as the Hackney Office - in Aberdeen following the alleged incident.

The self-employed taxi driver, who was sent on the job by Rainbow City Taxis, had been asked to take Murray McLeod, 63, of Ashley Lodge, Aberdeen, to a pantomime at Midmar.

The village hall venue, off the B9119 Tarland road some 15 miles west of the city, had been clearly marked out in typewritten directions by a friend of Mr McLeod.

Jenny Begg, 55, had hoped to bring her friend, who has severe physical disabilities, and his elderly companion, Sheila Woolner, to the event on Friday night.

Mrs Begg, of Midmar, had helped organise the seasonal pantomime and sent through the instructions which listed road numbers, roundabouts, signs and landmarks in detail.

She claims the male taxi driver - who was an hour late picking them up at Great Western Road- got as far as Garlogie then gave up and said he would take them back to Aberdeen for GBP20.

Mrs Begg said: "Murray tried to negotiate the fare to GBP10 to which the driver said he would drop them off at the nearest bus stop." In a strongly-worded letter to Rainbow City Taxis, she said her friends had been treated "horrendously" and demanded management cut ties with the driver.

She added: "We’ve never had trouble with them before. Murray used to use them often when he worked. It’s very disappointing but shows how often disabled people are treated so badly by others." Gordon Mackay, customer services manager for the taxi firm, apologised to Mrs Begg for the alleged incident and said the company "would not tolerate any nonsense" from drivers.

He added: "We can’t comment much because we have passed the complaint on to the Hackney Office.

"It is being investigated and the driver is being dealt with. It obviously gives Rainbow a bad name." He said the driver is self-employed but pays the company for use of its radio system. The driver will continue to work ahead of the Taxi Inspection Centre ruling.

The centre, which is linked to Grampian Police and local authorities, can revoke a driver’s licence in extreme cases.

TAG: world disability news