Yes, confidence is an issue. a problem for my wife is getting taxis to turn up at all. Local firms now know our address in their system, so there is never a car available (not that they have big fleets, but still). Also been told before, car is available, mention dog and suddenly not available…or driver is allergic. It’s very frustrating when the taxi is the only way for her to get to hospital for an appointment if I can’t manage it.
Had drivers in Aberdeen refuse to take her at a taxi rank pretty often- she would report them, but, being blind makes seeing the taxi licence number tad difficult! The refusal led to a 2.5 mile walk on busy streets in the rain – not a good thing when you are blind and don’t live in that area.
Not a problem in a bigger city like Glasgow, she’s never had an issue, but here its awful.
We would happily pay a surcharge if it took longer to deliver the service or required specialist equipment – that’s part of what the mobility payment is for, to assist in paying for things that non-disabled people don’t have to. Just because we used it to get a car doesn’t mean it’s not relevant.
In life, it's not who you know that's important, it's how your wife found out.