A retiree recovering from leg surgery hobbled in pain down a gravel road and hitch-hiked to a crucial medical appointment after his ACC-funded taxi failed to arrive.
Mike Fletcher, 73, lives on a rural property about 5km out of Wellsford, north of Auckland. In November 2023, he fell at home and tore a quad muscle from his bone, which required surgery.
Fletcher’s wife still works, and he relied upon ACC-funded taxis to get to and from follow-up appointments at Wellsford Medical Centre.
Those were booked a day in advance, including for 2.30pm on December 5. At 1.55pm, Fletcher was called by an Alert Taxi driver, he said, who had been given the job but was still in Whangaparāoa.
He explained this would make her too late, and rang to cancel the ride. Fletcher rebooked his medical appointment - which was to remove his stitches - for the following day, but said before that commitment the assigned Alert driver phoned him and said they wouldn’t make it in time.
“I got my crutches and hobbled down the metal road to the main road,” he told the Herald.
“I had the leg brace on... it was pretty slow... it probably took me a quarter of an hour to get down the 200 metres [to the main road].”
Fletcher, who used to work as a sales rep at ITM in Warkworth and is the president of the Wellsford Rugby Club, thumbed a ride into town.
At the appointment, it was found his wound was infected and he was put on antibiotics.
He contacted the Herald after reading recent stories detailing numerous complaints about ACC-funded taxis, with clients - many of whom were also recovering from major injuries and surgeries - reporting being left stranded and in pain for rides that were late or didn’t show at all.
ACC contracts companies such as Taxi Transport Consortium, which includes Auckland’s Alert Taxis and has about 70 subcontractors.
Last month, the Herald detailed the experience of an Auckland resident who broke his ankle and found ACC-funded taxis to get to physio appointments and work were often late or didn’t show up. In one case, that provider invoiced ACC for a trip it never arrived for - the corporation’s integrity services unit is now investigating.
In response, more than 30 Herald readers have provided accounts of problems with the reliability of ACC-funded taxis, almost all relating to the Taxi Transport Consortium.
Fletcher said after he was forced to hitch-hike, he complained and the Taxi Transport Consortium offered to assign him a dedicated driver. However, he opted to pay local taxi companies for future trips, as he didn’t trust future service would be better.
He was concerned that for people in his area, ACC apparently pays for a taxi to come up from Auckland, wait during a medical appointment, take the person home, and then drive back to the city.
“I hate to think what they were charging.”
ACC says changes will be made, including stricter GPS monitoring of trips and a review of how much work certain taxi companies are given.
“We reiterate that the ability to get to and from medical appointments is an important part of a client’s recovery and we are working with the Taxi Transport Consortium to improve this service... this work is ongoing and it is too soon to provide a progress report,” Stewart McRobie, ACC’s deputy chief executive for corporate and finance, said.
“We apologise for the frustration this service has caused Mike and understand the Taxi Transport Consortium has processes in place for clients in rural areas with a limited number of providers. We will continue to pass on feedback to the Taxi Transport Consortium.”
McRobie confirmed ACC was charged a cancellation fee by the consortium for Fletcher’s taxi on December 5, “which is in line with our agreement to fairly remunerate drivers for costs incurred on cancelled rides”.
Taxi Transport Consortium (TTC) director Luccidessa Ford has previously said the group is committed to providing the best possible service, “but also acknowledge we do not always get it right”.
“TTC recognise where we have failed to meet the level of service expected, and deserved, by the clients entrusted in our care, and are committed to learning from these experiences showing improvement moving forward.”
Ford said “dispatching parameters” had been changed in response to the feedback.
“Owing to the constrained availability in certain regions, engaging the local provider may not always be possible due to existing commitments. In such instances, an alternative solution is sought from neighbouring regions. This practice is not common and is undertaken with the aim of fulfilling client needs, incurring no additional charges.”
ACC spent more than $35 million last year on taxi rides for clients, up more than $8m on the previous year, which it said was largely due to a fare increase to cover petrol prices.
Nicholas Jones is an investigative reporter at the Herald. He won the best individual investigation and best social issues reporter categories at the 2023 Voyager Media Awards.