West Suffolk Council says it has listened to taxi drivers in Bury St Edmunds, Newmarket and Haverhill over new plans for wheelchair access requirements

A council plans to change a policy which would have seen cab drivers having to make new Hackney carriage taxis wheelchair accessible following a furious backlash last summer.

West Suffolk Council will launch a consultation with taxi drivers and operators and groups representing people with various disability or mobility issues on March 23, asking for views on three proposed changes to its Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Conditions Policy Handbook.

It follows the outcomes of an independent survey, which was undertaken alongside an in-depth study of taxi provision across West Suffolk last Autumn.

The council's existing wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAV) policy, which has been in place for a number of years, requires taxi drivers to ensure when replacing their vehicle it is wheelchair accessible.

Cabinet had already agreed to review the policy in September 2020, but in August last year, a month before the survey was due to launch, the council was presented with a petition and letter of concern by many taxi drivers angry at the existing policy.

Taxi drivers in Newmarket and Bury St Edmunds went on strike at the start of August over the review into the policy.

During last Autumn, the council carried out a study of taxi provision in West Suffolk, looking at WAV provision, the advantages and disadvantages of merging the taxi zones (West Suffolk currently has two zone, Zone A for the former Forest Heath and Zone B for the former St Edmundsbury) and the age of the fleet.

Consideration was also given to future requirements of an environmentally friendly taxi fleet and the impact of Covid-19.

As part of the in-depth study, an independent survey of taxi drivers, operators wheelchair users, other disabled people and people who have mobility issues but would not identify themselves as being disabled, was carried out to understand people’s experience of WAVs.

The review found that:

• WAVs do not meet the needs of all people with disability and mobility issues. As such, a mixed fleet of vehicles is required.

• There is not a balanced provision of WAVs across the two taxi zones. However, there would likely be sufficient provision to meet current demand, if the zones were merged. A previous independent study in 2019 found there was a shortfall in zone A which could impact on availability.

• That a large proportion of the fleet, including a third of WAVs, would need replacing in 2025 when the council’s vehicle age limit of 10 years comes into effect.

• That there is not sufficient public rapid charging infrastructure in place yet for the trade to switch over to electric vehicles and there is also a need for more advances to be made in relation to electric vehicles that can be a wheelchair accessible vehicle.

As a result, the council has proposed:

• To remove all wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV) requirements for Hackney Carriage Vehicle (HCV) licensees.

• To merge the two taxi zones into one single zone.

• To increase the maximum age of vehicle limit to 15 years old to allow more time for the trade to recover from the pandemic, and for advancements in EV charging technology, infrastructure and vehicle options. This new age limit would still mean those taxis emitting the highest carbon emissions would be removed from the roads in 2025.

A West Suffolk Council spokesperson said: “The council recognises the significant contribution that taxis make to the local economy and the role they play in supporting leisure, education, and tourism.

"We also know that the needs and safety of the travelling public must be paramount within our policy.

"We have listened to both taxi customers and taxi drivers - and hope that we have found a pragmatic solution that they can get behind and work with us toward ensuring we have a thriving, safe, accessible and greener fleet.”

The spokesperson added: "The three proposals should not be considered in isolation to each other.

"The changes to the WAV requirement for instance cannot happen without the changes to the taxi zones.

"As such these proposals should be considered as one complete package of changes to benefit both the taxi trade and customers alike.

"The council cannot have different licensing policies for different parts of our district – so we cannot for instance address the concerns over the shortage of WAV provision with a policy that only applies to Mildenhall and Newmarket.

"Becoming one taxi zone would allow the Council to remove the WAV policy, monitor the situation and consider future changes as necessary.

"It would also mean that drivers, having taken a fare across from the former Forest Heath to the former St Edmundsbury or vice versa could actually then pick up fares going in the opposite direction.

"There are some risks. Once made, a decision to become one zone cannot be reversed and taxis may flood areas that are seen as more profitable leaving other places short of vehicles.

"The council, however, believes that given the regular demand on taxis and the geographical spread of West Suffolk, the risk of drivers leaving their usual custom base to travel to another town in the hope of picking up more trade is low and it will work with the trade to mitigate any risks."