Minister says legislation governing taxis and private hire vehicles is “woefully out of date” as accessibility reforms loom
- Perry Richardson
- Mar 25
- 4 min read
The Government has moved a step closer to reforming taxi and private hire vehicle accessibility standards across England, after ministers acknowledged in the House of Lords that existing legislation governing the sector is “woefully out of date”.
During a debate on public transport accessibility on 24 March, Transport Minister Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill confirmed that taxis and private hire vehicles will form part of a wider strategy aimed at improving inclusive travel, with further detail expected as the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill progresses.
The discussion highlighted the growing policy focus on point-to-point transport services, which play a critical role in first and last mile journeys, particularly for disabled passengers who may not be able to rely on fixed-route public transport.
Responding to Conservative peer Lord Borwick, who raised the issue of wheelchair accessibility in taxis, Hendy made clear that the Government is not looking at taxis in isolation but at the combined role of taxis and private hire vehicles in delivering transport services. He said: “Taxis are intrinsically part of a service of both taxi and private hire vehicles, and 87% of the total provision of private hire vehicles is not taxis.”
House of Lords debate signals potential nationwide overhaul of vehicle standards and accessibility rules
That statistic underlines the scale of the private hire sector and signals that any meaningful accessibility reform will need to extend beyond the traditional taxi fleet. In many parts of England outside London, wheelchair-accessible taxis remain limited in number, while private hire vehicles dominate overall supply.
Hendy indicated that ministers are aiming for a more consistent and inclusive system across both sectors. He told peers the Government is “determined to embrace his determination with our own determination to make the whole provision suitable throughout England for wheelchair users and people with all disabilities”.
For licensed drivers and local authorities, this points towards a potential shift in regulatory expectations, where accessibility standards may increasingly apply across mixed fleets rather than being concentrated in taxi-only licensing regimes.
The debate also exposed longstanding structural differences between taxis and private hire vehicles, which continue to complicate policymaking. Shadow Transport Minister Lord Moylan challenged whether the Government was holding back on mandating accessible taxis nationwide due to difficulties in applying similar requirements to private hire vehicles.
Hendy rejected that interpretation but acknowledged the complexity of aligning two historically distinct sectors. He said: “The definition of ‘taxi’ is venerable and that taxis, in various forms, have been on our streets for several hundred years. Private vehicle hire… has been legitimised in London only recently and, in the rest of the country, is quite different from what it was 20 years.”
He added that policymakers must ensure “the combined provision of those two types of vehicles, which provide what is nearly but not quite the same level of service, is suitable for the users of those services throughout the various rural and urban areas of England”.
For the industry, this suggests that future reforms are likely to focus on outcomes such as accessibility and service availability, rather than preserving the traditional regulatory divide between taxis and private hire vehicles.
A key barrier identified during the debate remains the cost of accessible vehicles. Purpose-built wheelchair-accessible taxis, widely used in London, have not achieved the same level of adoption elsewhere according to the minister. Hendy highlighted this disparity, stating: “The present design of accessible taxi… is a beautiful vehicle that is largely used only in London because it is so expensive.”
This has implications for any nationwide mandate, particularly in smaller towns and rural areas where vehicle utilisation rates and fares may not support higher capital costs without financial assistance or changes to fare structures.
The Minister’s most direct signal of forthcoming reform came in his assessment of the legislative framework itself. He told the House: “We need to make modifications to all taxi and private hire services, as the legislation is woefully out of date, and find a way to make them suitable for all people, both disabled and non-disabled, who seek to use them as means to get around their towns, cities and countryside.”
Such remarks indicate that changes could go beyond vehicle specifications to include broader licensing, service standards and potentially national frameworks that reduce regional variation in accessibility provision.
The timing of these reforms is expected to align with the next stages of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill. Hendy confirmed that further detail will emerge during its passage, stating: “We will have more to say on Report… when we deal with the amendments the noble Lord has tabled.”
The debate signals a clear policy direction towards greater standardisation and inclusivity, but also raises questions about funding, implementation timelines and the operational impact on drivers and vehicle owners.
While no firm timetable for full accessibility compliance was provided, the Government’s position suggests that both sectors will be expected to evolve together, with private hire vehicles increasingly brought into scope of accessibility expectations that have traditionally applied more heavily to taxis.
