Cheltenham Borough Council gives go ahead for all cabs to be wheelchair accessible despite protests

Taxi drivers from Cheltenham took to the streets to vent their displeasure at controversial new taxi regulations that they claim will force them out of business. Cheltenham Borough Council met this week to discuss whether to make all of the town's taxis wheelchair-accessible by 2021.  

Councillor Tim Harman lead the discussion in front of a council committee, who despite protests and concerns from taxi drivers, chose to bring in the policy. 

The new regulations will cost drivers around £10,000 in ‘grandfather rights’, which has allowed cabbies to sell their vehicle licence. Instead cabbies will now have to fork out upwards of £33,000 to buy a wheelchair-accessible vehicle. Mr Chambers from the Cheltenham Hackney Carriage Association said: "It will put us out of business."