TOO EXPENSIVE: Wheelchair accessible taxi age limits in parts of South Wales are set to be relaxed

Wheelchair accessible taxi age limits in parts of South Wales are set to be relaxed.

The cost of a new Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV) has risen rapidly. It is hoped that by extending the length of service available to the vehicle it would encourage more drivers to invest.

According to an article on abergavennychronicle.com, the age limit on taxis that are equipped to allow wheelchair users to sit in them during a journey is set to be relaxed in Blaenau Gwent.

At a meeting of Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council’s General Licensing committee, councillors debated tweaks that need to be made to its draft ‘Policy Relating to Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Licences’.

This follows changes made by central government which has seen the Welsh Government publish its ‘Guide to Harmonisation of Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing in Wales’ and the UK Government’s Department for Transport’s ‘Statutory Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Standards’.

The current policy in Blaenau Gwent requires Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles (WAV) to become a licensed taxi within five years of the vehicle being registered.

There are currently no more than six taxis in Blaenau Gwent that can carry a particular size wheelchair onto the vehicle without being dismantled and the passenger having to get out of the wheelchair. That’s out of 120 licensed vehicles.

During the committee meeting there were also further discussions around future grants for WAV taxis and the ‘mandatory’ use of CCTV in cabs.

Councillors unanimously voted in favour of the policy changes and also to investigate whether there is grant funding to help drivers buy wheelchair accessible taxis.