Wheelchair user forced to stay in library overnight due to taxi shortage

Caitriona spent 14 hours without access to a toilet as she waited for a taxi

A 27-year-old woman was left stranded in Belfast city centre as she was unable to get a wheelchair accessible taxi after her car broke down.

Caitriona Brauder had to stay overnight in a south Belfast library, and was unable to use the toilet for 14 hours.

The disability transport charity Motability tried to get a vehicle on her behalf but nothing was available.

There are 354 wheelchair accessible taxis in Northern Ireland, down from 373 last year.

Ms Bauder said this is an ongoing issue and it is not getting better.

"I am a 27 year old adult - I should be able to go to Belfast myself and know that I have a way of getting home.

"I don't think there's been much change, it's pretty static and I think it's getting worse."

'How am I going to get home?'

On Saturday night, Ms Bauder was in Belfast to celebrate an anniversary with her partner when things took a turn for the worse - her own adapted car had broken down.

"It was a night I was really looking forward to - all that changed when we came out of the concert from having a great time to how am I going to get home?"

Catriona said she tried multiple taxi firms who said they couldn't help and it's not the first time it has happened.

"They [taxi firms] were making out it was a bad night, too late to get one and that the drivers that were driving these types of cars were off or seemed to be no luck that night.

"But that's not the case because it is happening all the time, it wasn't just that night," she added.

A Department for Infrastructure spokesperson said there are currently 354 wheelchair accessible taxis of the kind that can be hailed and pre-booked, but said there might be others operating along set routes or as chauffeur services.

14 hours without a toilet

In the end, Caitriona was forced to take shelter in a library and waited 14 hours with no toilet access until a friend could drive her home to Dungannon in an accessible car.

"100% grateful that we had that [library option], without it we wouldn't have had anywhere else to go.

"I don't know what would have happened but it's not ideal at all and it also raises the other issue of having no accessible Changing Places toilet that I can use as well. So it was 14 hours of needing to use the bathroom and I couldn't."

A Changing Places bathroom includes a hoist and plenty of space for wheelchair users to go to the toilet.

Caitriona said she contacted Motability, a charity that helps disabled people get accessible transport.

"The Motability service started ringing ambulance services, they were ringing airport services to get anything - trying every possible option that they could."

Ms Bauder said she is still getting over what happened,

"I'm still trying to get back to what I was before.

"Sitting all night in a chair is not good for me and I have had pain and discomfort and generally not feeling good from that.

"It's not just one night of discomfort," she added.