Accessibility requirements for new Eastbourne taxis could be removed

On Monday (June 26), Eastbourne Borough Council’s licensing committee agreed to go out to consultation on its plans to change its licensing guidelines for taxi operators, which include a significant change to accessibility.

At the moment, any new vehicles being put forward for use as a hackney carriage have to be wheelchair accessible to be considered by the council. The council is proposing that it removes it this requirement.

The committee heard the change is being considered for broadly two reasons. Firstly, because the relatively high cost of wheelchair-accessible vehicles has been ‘a barrier’ to new drivers entering the trade. Secondly, a concern that such vehicles may not be suitable for all disabled passengers.

This latter point saw some support from Cllr Hugh Parker (Lib Dem), who had some personal experience to share. He said: “My late wife was completely wheelchair bound, so she needed a wheelchair-accessible vehicle.

“But she had MS, so it developed over time. When she was able to walk a wheelchair-accessible vehicle wouldn’t have been of any good to her, because she couldn’t have got into the passenger seat, because it was too high.

“So that proves your point. We need a variety of disability-available vehicles, because disabilities is such a broad brush; it covers mobility, it covers sight, it covers hearing, it covers special needs, mental capacity if you like.

“It covers a variety of things and I think the transport that is offered by taxi and private hire needs to reflect that. It’s too easy to go for a wheelchair-accessible vehicle and then find that 50 per cent of the people that it turns up for can’t even get into it.”

The committee also heard how recently introduced legislation means all hackney and private hire drivers have a duty to carry disabled persons generally and provide mobility assistance, whether or not they have a wheelchair-accessible vehicle.

Even so, no decision will be taken until the results of the consultation are assessed. The consultation is set to run for six weeks and will seek views from the trade, other organisations which operate in the district and the public more generally.