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Posted on the 6th February 2025 in PHTM News
NORTH YORKSHIRE SEEKS INPUT ON TAXI ACCESSIBILITY AND DRAFT INCLUSIVE SERVICE PLAN
North Yorkshire is facing a shortage of wheelchair accessible taxis and is calling on residents to share their views to improve accessibility across the county.
Currently, the council licenses approximately 70 WAVs, a ratio of one for every 9,000 residents. This figure falls significantly short of the provision in comparable rural areas, where the best-performing authorities offer one WAV for every 2,000 to 3,000 people.
To reach a similar level of service, North Yorkshire would need to license an additional 200 WAVs.
Despite previous efforts by former borough and district councils to increase WAV numbers, uptake has been minimal. Now, North Yorkshire Council is exploring various options to address the shortfall and is seeking public feedback on potential solutions.
"We recognise the difficulties that passengers who need accessible vehicles face daily," stated Cllr Greg White, the council’s executive member for licensing.
"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."
The council is also consulting on its draft Inclusive Service Plan (ISP), which focuses on the needs of individuals with both visible and less visible disabilities when using public transport.
"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," Cllr White added.
While acknowledging that rural areas typically have lower WAV provision than urban centres, he emphasised the need for improvement. "Although WAV provision is typically lower in rural authorities than in urban areas, we know that we can do better."
In addition to the accessibility issues, the council is seeking input on proposed changes to its hackney carriage and private hire licensing policy. These potential changes, aimed primarily at the taxi trade, include adjustments to age limits for vehicles, the introduction of restricted private hire driver licences, less frequent driver medical assessments, and a review of minimum luggage space requirements.
The consultation period, which began on 5 February, will continue until 30 April.
Details can be found at: www.northyorks.gov.uk/taxi-consultation.
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