During March, Cheltenham Borough Council voted in a new set of policies governing the licensing of hackney carriages and private hire vehicles. Among ten of the policy changes, is the mandating of all hackney carriages in Cheltenham to be wheelchair accessible by 2021. The new wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV) policy has caused a great deal of controversy among the taxi trade.
WAV Policy Implications
The new all-WAV policy means that up to 186 Cheltenham licence holders would lose grandfather rights to keep their saloon taxis. The trade has argued that this takes away customer choice and will put these operators out of business. A demonstration was undertaken by the taxi trade shortly after the policy change which saw 60 taxis circling the municipal offices in Cheltenham. The local Hackney Carriage Association sought help from the National Private Hire and Taxi Association, who applied for a call-in of the all-WAV policy to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
The application was accepted and the committee met on the 28th March. Wide ranging discussions took place at the meeting relating to difficulties that the trade faces in finding vehicles that meet the council’s stringent criteria. The policy states that a hackney carriage must be no more than five years old, must be silver in colour and all diesel taxis must be Euro 6 compliant. One committee member held firm to the principle that even a solo wheelchair user discriminated against by means of denying them access to a taxi, counts as discrimination, by the council, against all wheelchair users.
The new all-WAV policy means that up to 186 Cheltenham licence holders would lose grandfather rights to keep their saloon taxis.
New Discussions Welcome
The decision was made in favour of upholding the original plans on the review of the Licensing Committee. The Chair would also send a letter to local MP’s to raise the issue with the Central Government and ask for clarification on official government policy. Fresh dialogue on this matter is welcome and it’s also hoped that an outcome is reached that meets customer needs and allows the taxi fleet to be updated in a sustainable manner.
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