Campaigners call for action to address shortage of wheelchair-accessible taxis

A drastic and discriminatory shortage of wheelchair-accessible taxis is causing disabled people to miss medical and dental appointments, education and work commitments, and social opportunities, disabled campaigners have warned.

They believe plans by their local council to address the shortage will fail and need to be much tougher.

They also believe that many other rural parts of the UK face similar problems with drastic shortages of wheelchair-accessible taxis, although some local authorities have taken measures to improve the numbers.

They spoke out this week as North Yorkshire Council launched a consultation on changes to the rules for licensing taxis and private hire vehicles, which closes on 30 April.

In a report published in November, the council said it had about one wheelchair-accessible taxi for every 9,000 people, compared with the best-performing rural areas of the country which have one for every 2,000 to 3,000 people.

It concluded that North Yorkshire – which covers seven borough and district councils – would need at least 200 more wheelchair-accessible taxis to “reach a similar ratio”.

The report accepted that this shortage would likely be fixed by imposing new rules that all new licences should only be granted to wheelchair-accessible vehicles, but it said it wanted to “avoid imposing unnecessary regulatory burdens where the desired outcomes could be achieved by less burdensome means”.

The number of wheelchair-accessible taxis has already fallen in the last year, from 67 on 31 March 2023 to just 64 at the end of 2024, while the number of inaccessible saloon taxis has risen from 561 to 705.

The council had proposed to bring in new rules that all new and replacement taxis should be wheelchair-accessible vehicles or zero-emission saloon-type cars.

But the council has now added the option of hybrid electric taxis, while there will be no similar restrictions for drivers of private hire vehicles.

It has also dropped plans to force drivers of taxis and private hire vehicles to replace their cars once they are 10 years old.

Disabled campaigners in North Yorkshire believe this will mean there will be no significant increase in wheelchair-accessible taxis.

North Yorkshire Disability Forum’s Accessible Transport Group and disability charity Disability Action Yorkshire are urging those taking part in the consultation to call for all new and replacement taxis to be wheelchair-accessible, which is one of the options in the consultation.

They say the shortage of wheelchair-accessible taxis in the area has been a problem for more than 25 years.

The forum believes the council’s current policies discriminate against disabled people who use wheelchairs, with wheelchair-accessible taxis in such short supply that drivers can afford to turn down bookings for short journeys.

Disabled tourists visiting the famed North Yorkshire moors, dales and coast are also affected, while bus services are “infrequent and sometimes unreliable”, with many bus stops lacking shelters to protect passengers from the rain.

Ian Lawson, who chairs the forum’s accessible transport group, recently had to wait for three hours for a wheelchair accessible taxi at a station when two rail replacement buses were not accessible.

This led to him missing his wheelchair services appointment.

Other wheelchair-users have been unable to travel just a few miles to an appointment with a GP or a dentist, or to watch a band in the evening.

Lawson told Disability News Service: “Another contact emailed me recently telling me that she wanted her life back.

“She was a driver but, as her health failed and she now can no longer drive, she is now marooned in North Yorkshire, unable to live her life as she did.

“These people are why I campaign.”

These concerns are backed by Disability Action Yorkshire, which is supporting the call for all new and replacement taxis to be wheelchair-accessible.

The forum believes that nearly 100 local authorities across England currently force all taxis to be wheelchair-accessible, whereas just eight per cent of taxis in North Yorkshire are wheelchair-accessible.

Cllr Greg White, NYC’s executive member for licensing, said: “We need to ensure that everyone has access to taxis across North Yorkshire, as well as striking a balance that supports users and is sustainable for the trade to adopt.

“Although WAVs (wheelchair accessible vehicles) are typically lower in rural authorities than in urban areas, we know that we can do better by providing a mix of vehicles that caters for everyone, as well as having a positive impact on our carbon footprint.

“The options presented in the consultation and draft policy are some proposed possibilities based on striking this balance and also research into other authorities, but they are by no means an extensive list or agreed approach.

“We want to hear everyone’s views and are keen to hear about options to increase WAVs that might not be included in our consultation.”

Picture: County Hall, Northallerton, North Yorkshire. Picture by Google

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