It was 9pm on Wednesday October 5, when disability advocate Adrian O'Malley made his way from Melbourne Airport's arrivals hall to the taxi rank.
His flight from Sydney had been delayed. He was tired and just wanted to get to his hotel so he could rest ahead of a presentation the following day.
When the first cab wound down their window, Mr O'Malley showed the driver his interstate taxi subsidy voucher from Transport New South Wales. The voucher subsidises 50 per cent of taxi trips for eligible passengers, up to $60.
With the door locked, the driver said, "I don't have to take you, mate".
"I said, 'Yes you do," Mr O'Malley recounted.
"'This is not a discussion; you are legally required to take me'."
The driver refused. Mr O'Malley had the same problem with the next five taxis.
"One guy just closed the window on me," Mr O'Malley says.
"That was a shit experience, it felt disempowering and a little bit humiliating."
Disability discrimination
Since Mr O'Malley had a stroke 16 years ago he has not been legally allowed to drive, so he often relies on taxis and rideshare vehicles to get around.
He says what he experienced at Melbourne Airport earlier this month was disability discrimination, and it should not have happened.
"In terms of Victoria, it seems like people with disability are seen as a problem that the taxi industry would prefer not to deal with," he says.
"We just want to live our lives — they have to provide services to people with disabilities."
Mr O'Malley is planning to make a complaint to VCAT and Commercial Passenger Vehicles Victoria (now known as Safe Transport Victoria).
'We must do better'
The Disability Resources Centre (DRC) says what Mr O'Malley experienced is all too common.
"Some drivers will not pick up," DRC campaign officer Ally Scott says.
"It's a huge problem. You cannot guarantee that you are going to get somewhere on time, so it stops people with disabilities from going out."
Subsidy schemes differ from state to state, and some interstate vouchers act like cheques, so taxi drivers need to go into an office to be reimbursed.
DRC are calling for a simpler, more consistent subsidy scheme so that people with disabilities can easily get transport.
"This isn't just an irksome little thing, this is a real fundamental right that people are not able to access work, education and a social life," Ms Scott says.
"We must do better than this."
The Victorian regulator for taxis and rideshare companies, Safe Transport Victoria, says they are "deeply disappointed" to hear about unprofessional conduct by taxi drivers.
"This behaviour is not acceptable," the director of people and engagement at Safe Transport Victoria, Ayten Erkul, says.
"Safe Transport Victoria strongly reminds drivers and booking service providers of their legal obligations when transporting passengers with disability."
Victorian voucher hard to set up
After an eye haemorrhage in March led to a dramatic reduction in her vision, Robyn Anderson OAM can no longer clearly see anything that is more than a metre in front of her.
She expected many challenges, but she didn't think using the Victorian government's taxi subsidy program would be one of them.
Victoria's multi-purpose taxi program (MPTP) is designed to help people with accessibility needs by offering subsidised trips on unbooked taxi fares.
Mrs Anderson's first experience trying to use the scheme left her feeling sick.
She had tried to follow the instructions she'd been given and booked a taxi through the 13cabs app, not realising she had already pre-paid the fare.
When the taxi arrived, she told the driver she wanted to use the MPTP card to pay for half of her trip. The driver said he couldn't take the MPTP card because she'd already paid — when Ms Anderson said she didn't understand what she had done wrong the driver allegedly started yelling at her.
"I was absolutely mortified that someone can get annoyed at you and actually start yelling at you because you don't understand," she says.
"I felt like a second-class citizen."
After three taxi trips and a call to the company's customer service line, Mrs Anderson still didn't know how she could use the MPTP voucher.
In the end it was only with the help of her optometrist's receptionist that she got the taxi company's app set up properly so she could use the scheme.
Mrs Anderson has put in three complaints to 13cabs about her experiences, calling on the company to train drivers in how to treat people with disabilities.
Cab company sorry
Olivia Barry, chief operating officer at 13cabs, says she is "really sorry" Ms Anderson did not have a positive experience in the car.
"We've spoken to that driver who managed the trip with Robyn and re-educated him," she said.
"We've got to take care of these people; this is our work."
Ms Barry says Mrs Anderson is not the only customer who has had trouble setting up the MPTP card.
She is calling on Safe Transport Victoria to review what people are told when they first get access to the scheme.
"I don't know what information the card holder receives, but obviously it's not enough," she says.
"We are happy to work with government to help first time users."
