Are the city’s taxis accessible?

Brighton and Hove City Council’s  Licensing Committee is seeking the public’s views to help develop an accessibility policy for hackney carriage drivers, vehicles and operators in the city.

Interested parties can join in the consultation process by completing a questionnaire on the council’s website before May 8, 2013:

To view questionnaire, CLICK HERE: 
The city council is responsible for licensing taxi vehicles and their drivers and the Equality Act 2010 requires public transport services providers, including taxi drivers and operators, to ensure people with disabilities are not discriminated against or treated less favourably.

The questionnaire looks at all aspects of vehicle accessibility, from the positioning and type of door handles to the availability and positioning of steps and includes a section on advice and training for taxi drivers.  Results of the survey will be reported at the next Licensing Committee meeting in June 2013.

Once agreed, the accessibility policy will sit alongside the council’s handbook, the ‘Blue Book’, which provides guidance to taxi drivers, proprietors and operators.

To find a copy of the Blue Book, CLICK HERE: 

Cllr Duncan, chair of Brighton & Hove City Council’s Licensing Committee, said:

“Taxis are an important, and sometimes the only, means of transport for many disabled people and we want to ensure the city’s fleet is accessible to all our residents and visitors.  The council has and continues to support a policy of maintaining a mixed fleet of wheelchair accessible vehicles and saloon cars and this study will help us determine an accessibility policy that reflects the diverse needs of different passengers.”