KETCHIKAN — A nonprofit that provides services for people with disabilities has yet to find a taxi company in Ketchikan that will operate a vehicle that is wheelchair accessible.
Keith Smith, the director of Southeast Alaska Independent Living’s Ketchikan program, said the group issued a request for proposals earlier this month, but has not yet received any interest from taxi companies, The Ketchikan Daily News reported (http://bit.ly/1THJtdf).
Smith said the grants from the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities would fund 80 percent of the $58,000 disabled-accessible vehicle, and a Rasmuson Foundation grant would cover an additional 10 percent. The taxi company would be required to fund that final 10 percent.
The company could also qualify for federal tax credits and apply for a permit to operate the vehicle in addition to its regular fleet of taxis.
Ketchikan Yellow Taxi Inc., also known as Yellow Cab, operated one of the vehicles for SAIL several years ago, but stopped using it after experiencing several issues with the car. When SAIL received grant funding for a new vehicle equipped with a ramp for wheelchair access, Yellow Cab agreed to operate the taxi. In February 2015, it applied for a certificate of public convenience and necessity to operate the wheelchair-accessible vehicle along with its other vehicles.
However, a motion to hold a public hearing was not supported by the City Council and it was not taken up again, according to a March 29 letter from Ketchikan Police Chief Alan Bengaard.
While Ketchikan’s SAIL program waits to hear back from taxi companies interested in the proposal, Smith said the group will continue its efforts to bring the taxi service to the community.
Juneau’s SAIL program has a ramp-equipped taxi accessible to those in wheelchairs, according to its website. It’s made possible through SAIL, DOT and Juneau Taxi.
“SAIL has worked very hard over the years to ensure that Juneau has reliable, efficient, on-demand taxi service for folks using wheelchairs,” Tristan Knutson-Lombardo, SAIL’s Assistant Director in Juneau, told the Empire by email, “and our Ketchikan Program Director, Keith Smith, has been working tirelessly with both the city and borough councils as well as current taxi vendors to make accessible cab rides a reality for our Ketchikan consumers.”
