Access to Work Taxi distance.

thebigcheese

Post Deleted.

Beeworried

My husband had help with Taxi fares from Access to Work while he was working.

First, they will only pay for a Taxi if there is no public transport which can be used or it would be very difficult for you to use. In my husband's case he worked outside of the town we lived in and it would have been 3 bus changes and a half mile walk which he was not capable of doing.

You have to pay a contribution which is worked out based on what it would cost you if you went to work by normal means (i.e drove yourself) taking into account fuel, insurance, expected maintenance and parking charges. You then get 2 or 3 quotes from Taxi firms of what they would charge for the journeys and Access to Work then decide which company they will pay. They pay the difference between your contribution and what the Taxi firm will charge.

You sign an agreement with Access to Work saying you will pay the extra money to the company and it is usually reviewed annually.

Access to Work send you claim forms which must be signed by your employer that you have worked the days claimed, this is usually done on a monthly basis. The forms are sent back to Access to Work and they then pay the difference between your contribution and the full cost either to yourself and you pay the Taxi company the full cost, or directly to the company and you then pay the company your contribution. They can be a bit slow making the payments and he was usually paid 2 months in arrears. It is up to you and the Taxi company to negotiate if they want payment direct or not and if they are willing to wait until you get paid the money or you pay them and wait to be reimbursed.

[Deleted User]

the basic cost of a 64 mile round trip in a taxi would be at least £100 a day,surely OP theres something nearer?

GlasweJen

I have no hope in hell of ever driving so access to work asked for a doctors letter to certify this.

Knowing I couldn't use a car even if I wanted to they then based my contribution on how much it would be to buy a monthly travel card.

ETA I worked 20 miles away from home and the taxi was £19 each way, max 5 return journeys per week minus my contribution so it was almost £600 a month cost to them and no one ever said that was too high.

Beeworried

Just to add to my previous post.

Medical evidence is needed that you require help from Access to Work. They will also do a work assessment at your place of work to see if extra equipment is needed to help you do the job, they cover part of the cost and the employer pays the rest. My husband had an extra large computer monitor, digital document reader and software that read out what was on his screen.

Most Taxi companies are quite willing to negotiate a good deal for regular work. I think when he left each Taxi trip was £14.40 and we contributed £2.00 per journey (2 each day) so £4 daily.

[Deleted User]

Just to add they wont always pay taxis because you cant legally drive so don't make a job choice decision based on assuming you will get it.

My hubby has aspergers, couldn't drive due to high anxiety related to this tried and couldnt even do lessons. Also sleep apnea which took away his licence anyway and cant even keep trying with the lessons.
He was refused and finally a year later they relented and gave him taxis from the place of work to the train station due to ASD issues. He takes the train the other 30 miles.

That said I had it for years for a 20 mile round trip and I have epilepsy.

GlasweJen

I only got it because I'm a wheelchair user and immunocompromised, unfortunately they never got round to processing my renewal so I now carpool with another colleague.

Bryando

I have a similiar arrangement via the Disabled Student Allowance and thankfully I do . The Access to work scheme is something I am going to explore with the Jobcentre with a view to part-time work.