North Yorkshire Council has been urged to conduct more research before introducing new rules to increase the number of wheelchair-accessible taxis.
The authority is proposing to only allow new taxi registrations for wheelchair-accessible vehicles (WAV), electric or potentially hybrid vehicles.
The council, which has launched a consultation on the proposed policy change, licenses about 70 WAV taxis, representing around one for every 9,000 residents.
But it says other rural authorities have one WAV for every 2,000 to 3,000 people.
To reach a similar ratio, the council would need to license around 200 more WAVs.
But Ripon-based Richard Fieldman, who represents around 100 members of the North Yorkshire Taxi Drivers group, has warned that the policy change could damage the trade and mean there are fewer taxis for everyone.
He said:
“The policy isn’t going to create more wheelchair vehicles, all it’s going to do is put a lot of people out of the trade.
“By forcing this onto drivers you’re just creating a bigger problem because a lot of drivers like me who are in their 60s won’t make that kind of investment needed to buy a WAV.
“They’ll just retire early or go find another job.”
The taxi driver is calling for an unmet demand survey to find out the true demand for taxis across North Yorkshire.
He added:
“The council has done no research at all other than look at what other councils have done.
“If you ask the general public they will tell you they can’t get a taxi when they want them, just the same as wheelchair users are saying.”
Mr Fieldman said taxi drivers would like to be allowed to use Euro 6 petrol and diesel cars, which meet strict EU emissions standards.
Charity Disability Action Yorkshire is urging the public to contribute to the consultation on wheelchair-accessible taxis.
Chief executive Jackie Snape said:
“For many of us, calling a taxi is the answer to a simple need.
“We want a convenient, economic service that will take us to our destination.
“However, for disabled people, the provision of wheelchair-accessible licensed taxis across the district is low, and the alternatives are expensive specialist private hire vehicles which are beyond the means of most disabled people.”
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for licensing, Cllr Greg White, said the authority recognised the difficulties that passengers who need accessible vehicles faced:
“It can affect their mental health and leave them isolated, so we need to ensure the trade serves everybody, regardless of age, disability, gender, race, religion, or sex.
“We recognise that taxis should be accessible to all, and we need to strike a balance that supports users and is feasible for the trade to adopt.
“Although WAV provision is typically lower in rural authorities than in urban areas, we know that we can do better.”
The consultation will run until Wednesday 30th April. Details can be found at www.northyorks.gov.uk/taxi-consultation
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