Bolton actor Ruth Madeley describes how taxi driver ‘took her wheelchair’ after argument

Actor Ruth Madeley has opened up about her first ‘disability hate incident’, wherein a taxi driver allegedly took her wheelchair off her. 

Madeley, from Westhoughton in Bolton, was born with spina bifida, a condition that results in the spine and spinal cord not developing properly in the womb. 

Being one of the only disabled figures in modern television these days, Madeley has worked tirelessly to broaden the representation of disabled people in the film industry, and uses her platform to share an insight into what life is like living with a disability.

@ruthmadeley / Instagram

However, her latest post detailed a sickening ‘disability hate incident’ that happened in London last month.

Taking to Instagram, the Years & Years actor explained that she had gotten into a disagreement with a minicab driver after he refused to drop her outside Euston station’s accessible entrance because heavy traffic made it ‘too difficult’ and it would ‘take too long.’

She then detailed that the driver told her he had seen her stand up and ‘knew I could walk’ before demanding the fare, despite the journey being prepaid.

She wrote: “When I tried explaining this on the street, he became very agitated &, in sheer frustration, HE TOOK MY WHEELCHAIR from behind me without warning & carried it away to put in the boot of his taxi, leaving me on the side of the road. 

@ruthmadeley / Instagram

“When I asked for it back, he refused. Thankfully, I wasn’t travelling alone and my mum was able to grab my chair from the driver, although he tried his best to stop her. As a disabled woman, I never thought I’d have to deal with a situation like this in 2021.”

Madeley reported the incident to the Metropolitan Police who, shockingly, went on to inform her that the driver’s actions were ‘not a hate crime’ and that ‘no crime had been committed.’

She wrote: “Ultimately, after more fighting and asking for support, the police told me that nothing can be done. No warning to the taxi driver or the firm, no accountability, no consequences.”

The incident occurred last month on the day it was announced that Madeley would star in BBC Two’s factual drama, Independence Day? How Disabled Rights Were Won, co-written by the Bafta-winning screenwriter and playwright Jack Thorne.