Single mothers and Taxi voucher

B

brodiebabe

Registered User
Messages
637
Do single mothers get an allowance/voucher for taxi use? Or was this ever given in the past?

My other half swears that his brother went out with a single mother back in the late 1980's early 1990's and that she got taxis everywhere that were paid for by welfare.

I argue with him that perhaps she chose to spend her single mother allowance on taxi fares (which she has the right to do) and that it was not a specific taxi allowance.

Can anyone shed light on the matter? Thanks!
 
That's what I thought. I told him it sounded in the same vein as tales of free cars, buggies, hair dressing vouchers for asylum seekers.
 
Whatever about stuff like socialising money, hairdressing vouchers, cars etc. for asylum seekers I thought that the health boards (?) could issue grants to people for stuff like baby's buggies and other baby paraphenalia if they were judged to be in need of such things?
 
ClubMan said:
Whatever about stuff like socialising money, hairdressing vouchers, cars etc. for asylum seekers I thought that the health boards (?) could issue grants to people for stuff like baby's buggies and other baby paraphenalia if they were judged to be in need of such things?
Click to expand...

Agree with all the above. I was talking about the tales of asylum seekers leaving buggies at bus stops because the driver says the bus is too full to take the buggy. The person is purported to leave the buggy at the stop and says "I'll get another one from welfare tomorrow" as they get on the bus.
 
I think that if a person goes to the CWO and had an unexpected emergency - say they had to get a child to the hospital/doctor and needed a taxi then they may be able to present that to the CWO. Like a 'once off' payment but I think the thought of that being a regular occurrence sounds extremely unlikely. I have never heard of a specific taxi-allowance. I would take these type of stories with an extreme pinch of salt. As far as I'm aware health boards can issue certain items such as standard cots (not your mama&papa's type), sheets and baby food i.e. the basics. At the end of the day though single mother's are probably one of the main groups still in the poverty trap - I saw some program recently (on TV3 or TG4) and it mentioned that the percentage single parents need to pay in childcare costs is immense so many are unable to return to work.
 
I'm unclear on what Clubman means too - do you mean you are skeptical about the comment concerning asylum seekers leaving a buggy at a bus-stop or skeptical about the lone parents receiving taxi vouchers?

I'm not sure about the lone parents and taxi voucher issue. I would doubt very much that this occurred but then again Butter Vouchers were distributed at one time so I may be wrong. I've passed this question to some contacts to find out more.

It's worth noting however that there are a range of ways in which service providers in Ireland provide services to their clients. In certain circumstances they have discretion in terms of how these services are delivered because of the needs of the clients involved.

There are a few scenarios that may be applicable in the case of the lone parent cited by the OP. She seems to me to have been in receipt of some type of either HSE payment (for example a Mobility Allowance) or some type of DSFA payment. Or, perhaps her or her child, etc. could have had a particular medical condition, that necessitated travel to hospital or to access other public services she was unable to afford?

About 15 or so years ago, a family member of mine was obliged to travel daily to Dublin for medical treatment. These 5+ hour round-trips were provided by taxi and funded by the HSE as there were no dialysis services in his region. The taxi vouchers he received had nothing to do with his status. They were provided by the HSE because he was availing of a service he was entitled to (and at that stage anyway he was too unwell to drive himself to access those services).

A taxi driving friend recently told me about collecting a 19 year old heroin addict and driving her to the dentist. She was having 7 permanent teeth removed. The cost of the taxi was covered by the HSE.

By the way, I don't believe that story of anyone (asylum seeker or otherwise) abandoning a buggy on the premise that they would simply 'receive another one the next day from welfare'. In my experience, Community Welfare Officers don't make out payments to people that easily.
 
CMCR said:
About 15 or so years ago, a family member of mine was obliged to travel daily to Dublin for medical treatment. These 5+ hour round-trips were provided by taxi and funded by the HSE as there were no dialysis services in his region. The taxi vouchers he received had nothing to do with his status. They were provided by the HSE because he was availing of a service he was entitled to (and at that stage anyway he was too unwell to drive himself to access those services).
Click to expand...
Presumably the taxi was a cheaper option than using an ambulance for this purpose?

CMCR said:
A taxi driving friend recently told me about collecting a 19 year old heroin addict and driving her to the dentist. She was having 7 permanent teeth removed. The cost of the taxi was covered by the HSE.
Click to expand...

Did she REALLY tell the taxi driver her age? Or how many teeth she was going to have removed?
 
ubiquitous said:
Presumably the taxi was a cheaper option than using an ambulance for this purpose?
Click to expand...

He lived in an isolated, rural location at the time, in excess of 20+ miles from the nearest public hospital. If memory serves correctly ambulance services were very limited. I don't know therefore whether obtaining the services of a taxi to travel to Dublin for treatment was a cheaper option rather than using an ambulance. Presumably it was more cost effective for the HSE to have him travel in that way, rather than lose the services of an entire ambulance for a full day.

ubiquitous said:
Did she REALLY tell the taxi driver her age? Or how many teeth she was going to have removed?
?
Click to expand...

Yes. Came up as part of the conversation on the way over to dentist. He said she was in a very bad way - looked dreadful, etc. HSE probably have to arrange taxi services for those clients as otherwise they would probably not avail of treatment.
 
ClubMan said:
My mother in law insists that she saw this happening. I'm skeptical.
Click to expand...

I'd be skeptical too. Two people told me they saw it happen - on two different bus routes. Methinks it is an urban legend or else there would be evidence of a lot of dumped buggies at bus stops.
 
stuart said:
Skeptical?
In general or on this point?
or both?
Click to expand...
Both.
CMCR said:
I'm unclear on what Clubman means too - do you mean you are skeptical about the comment concerning asylum seekers leaving a buggy at a bus-stop or skeptical about the lone parents receiving taxi vouchers?
Click to expand...
Both but in particular my MIL's claim to have witnessed a buggy abandonment herself.
Yes. Came up as part of the conversation on the way over to dentist. He said she was in a very bad way - looked dreadful, etc. HSE probably have to arrange taxi services for those clients as otherwise they would probably not avail of treatment.
Click to expand...
Whatever about admitting to getting 7 teeth out I can't imagine even a junkie admitting to a stranger to being addicted to smack.
 
Taxis are used nowadays to get elderly people over to the day hospitals and such like. It definitely seems to make more sense than using an ambulance or having a full time fleet of drivers on hand.
 
Taxis are used nowadays to get elderly people over to the day hospitals and such like. It definitely seems to make more sense than using an ambulance or having a full time fleet of drivers on hand.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I met a taxi driver in Ballina who was ferrying 2 ladies up to Dublin on a weekly basis for cancer treatment - this is probably the least the health service can do given that they obviously don't have the appropriate treatment facilities anywhere closer for the ladies.
 
Friend of mine was travelling to Dublin recently for football match. met up with a friend of his who has free travel and is entitled to take a 'carer' with him on the train. my friend duly turned up at Clarke station (1916 and all that) with this other person and all the irish rail official did was take the other persons details and he got free travel that day. my friend couldnt believe it. this is no urban legend, whatever about the free taxis. ps the 'incapicated' person left him in Dublin and went on about his business. they arranaged to meet back at Connolly ( 1916 again).
 
I know Taxi drivers who have transported prisoners, train drivers, hospital patients. Maybe in exceptional circumstances soc. welfare will transport cases in need

On the CWO side of things- I was in a Public Health nurse office for an infant checkup. This office was obviously shared with the local CWO.

There was a notice behind the desk giving pricing guidelines on things like white goods, buggies etc...necessities
This Free car thing has to be a myth
 
cuchulainn said:
Friend of mine was travelling to Dublin recently for football match. met up with a friend of his who has free travel and is entitled to take a 'carer' with him on the train. my friend duly turned up at Clarke station (1916 and all that) with this other person and all the irish rail official did was take the other persons details and he got free travel that day. my friend couldnt believe it. this is no urban legend, whatever about the free taxis. ps the 'incapicated' person left him in Dublin and went on about his business. they arranaged to meet back at Connolly ( 1916 again).
Click to expand...

My Nan has a companion bus/rail pass. She is 87. While she is ok on a local bus by herself, she does find a train too awkward to manage. She has gone with my own Mom to Dublin once or twice but my mother would have to be with her for the entire day.
 
Legend99:I have absolutely no doubt that in most cases this companion pass is necessary. The person I am referring to is abusing the system, and unfortunately you will always have that. Your Nan sounds brilliant for her age. ( the chap I am referring to is late fortys maybe early fifties)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top