Crawley Borough Council is considering limiting the number of licenses in the borough, after evidence showed there was more than enough to cover the town’s needs.
While this news offers a boost for local taxi operators, proposals to require all cabs to be wheelchair accessible taxis have received a more mixed reception.
Cabbies and members of the public are currently being asked their views on the proposed changes which would result in drivers having to change their cabs by an agreed date. Currently, all new license applicants in Crawley Borough are required to have a wheelchair accessible taxi but only 40 percent of existing cabs comply with this policy.
Taxi drivers in the area have agreed that there needs to be a cap on the number of licenses to guarantee an acceptable amount of business for existing drivers.
One cabbie, Ryan Grice, 39, from Ifield, said: “The number of taxis in Crawley should be restricted. Today I’ve been sitting here waiting for an hour for a job.”
Crawley Borough Councils’ cabinet member for Environmental Services, Ken Trussell, stressed that they had not yet come to any conclusion on the matter.