Surrey couple stranded on Christmas night after no available wheelchair taxis

It was a long Christmas night for an elderly couple in Surrey, who say they were trapped at a friend’s house overnight because they couldn’t get a cab with wheelchair access.

Ann Lund was born with cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair as she deals with spinal issues in her 70s. She and her partner, Ken, took a Surrey Metro Taxi to a Christmas dinner at a friend’s home on Sunday.

When the couple was ready to leave, they say they called the same company which told them no cabs were available to pick them up.

Speaking with CityNews Monday, Lund says the two tried calling for a ride numerous times.

“We had to phone four different cab places and they all said ‘none available,” she said. “They kept saying all night ‘we don’t have no wheelchairs’.”

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Lund says while they continued to phone for a cab to pick them up on Monday morning, she had a fall in the bathroom, requiring a call for an ambulance.

When the paramedics arrived to tend to Lund, she says she explained the situation, with a taxi showing up once the paramedics called.

“First, they said to her, ‘we have no wheelchair taxis available.’ Then she said ‘I am an ambulance paramedic.’ And when she said that, the taxi came in hardly 10 minutes,” Lund said.

Lund says the situation has left her feeling frustrated and guilty.

“With all this going on, everybody in that house was upset,” she said. “I kind of feel like I spoiled their Christmas…I didn’t know what to do.”

Upon hearing Lund’s story, CityNews contacted Surrey Metro Taxi, speaking with someone who identified themself as a supervisor named “Jason Smith.”

The supervisor said the company has limited wheelchair-accessible vehicles and expresses regret for the situation. The company added the paramedic calling the cab had nothing to do with the speed of its arrival.

CityNews has been in contact with Surrey Metro Taxi about a formal response to the situation.

-With files from Maria Vinca