Improving Access to Taxis

The Department for Transport have just started on a consultation exercise around the theme of improving access to taxis.

The consultation document is asking for views on improving access to taxis because of anecdotal evidence that there is not enough access to taxis for disabled people especially outside of London, and that the limited access is reducing demand for disabled accessible taxis.

The consultation is also looking into the needs for improving pavements by way of dropped kerbs etc, along with improvements to taxi information and facilities at taxi ranks, along with measurers to deal with issues around complaints about poor driver behaviour and about taxi drivers refusing to stop and pick up disabled people.

Over the years in the High Peak, the council has in the past limited additionally hackney carriage / taxi licences unless they were for disabled accessible vehicles and some of the issues under review in the consultation may not be as much of a problem locally.

However if you have any views about ‘accessible’ taxi provision locally please let me know or you may want to consider responding to the consultation document which is available by visiting the following website : http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/open/consulttaxis/taxiconsulhtml