Agenda item - Update on the Situation regarding Wheelchair Accessible Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicles

Agenda item

Update on the Situation regarding Wheelchair Accessible Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicles

Minutes:

The Committee were asked to note a report that provided an update on the situation regarding Wheelchair Accessible Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicles.  Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles (WAV’s) were vehicles that have been constructed or adapted to carry a wheelchair user whilst they remained seated in their wheelchair.

 

The Senior Practitioner (Licensing), Worcestershire Regulatory Services (WRS), reminded Members that Members had, at previous Licensing Committee meetings, considered reports regarding the availability of WAV’s in the district.

 

At the Licensing Committee meeting held on 18th January 2017, Licensing Committee Members considered a number of different options that the Council could take with a view to increasing the number of WAV’s licensed by the Council to be used as Hackney Carriages.

 

At the time of the report being presented to Members, the Council licensed 124 vehicles to be used a Hackney Carriages, seven of which were WAV’s. 

 

Members resolved, at that meeting, that no further steps were to be taken to increase the number of WAV’s vehicles licensed by Bromsgrove District Council; but tasked officers to work with the taxi trade to raise public awareness of taxi companies that were able to provide WAV’s.

 

Members further requested that an update report, on the situation with regard to WAV’s, be presented to Licensing Committee Members after a period of twelve months.

 

The Senior Practitioner (Licensing), WRS, informed Members that, following on from the meeting on 18th January 2018, officers had written to the proprietors of all Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicles that had been identified as being a wheelchair accessible vehicle. 

 

Those proprietors were asked to give their consent for their personal data, which included their telephone number, to be publicised by the Council to raise public awareness of the availability of which taxi providers could supply a WAV.

 

Unfortunately only one private hire operator had responded to the request and they had indicated that since their WAV was committed to contracted work for most of the time, they would not normally be available without at least 24 hours’ notice.

 

Members were reminded that on 7th February 2017, the Department for Transport (DfT) had announced their intention to implement sections 165-167 of the Equality Act 2010 and had made the Equality Act 2010 (Commencement No. 12) Order 2017, which took effect on 6th April 2017.

 

On 21st June 2017, following a recommendation from the Licensing Committee on 12th June 2017, Council resolved to adopt the position statement on sections 165-167 of the Equality Act 2010.  This position statement committed the Council to publishing and maintaining a list of those vehicles that had been designated as wheelchair accessible for the purposes of sections 165-167 as from 1st December 2017.

 

The designated list of WAV’s was published and hosted on both the Council’s and Worcestershire Regulatory Services website and would be maintained as part of the Council’s public register of Hackney Carriage and Private Hire vehicles.

 

The public register identified six Hackney Carriage and six Private Hire Vehicles that were WAV’s.  This was out of a total of 123 Hackney Carriages and 42 Private Hire vehicles licensed by Bromsgrove District Council.

 

The Senior Practitioner (Licensing), WRS, responded to questions from Members and in doing so:-

 

·         Explained that vehicles licensed as Hackney Carriages could carry out pre-booked private hire work, as well as waiting for passengers at designated taxi ranks and being flagged down by a member of the public, if their “For Hire” light was on.

 

·         A considerable number of WAV’s carried out a lot of pre-booked work and contract work.

 

The Chairman reminded Members that a consultation exercise had been carried out and that the report presented to Licensing Committee Members at the meeting held on 18th January 2017 had provided Members with options to consider potentially increasing the number of WAV’s in the district.

 

During that meeting, Members expressed their disappointment at the small number of WAV’s licensed in the district, but the majority of Members had agreed that there was a lack of supporting evidence to suggest that there was an unmet demand for WAV’s.

 

RESOLVED that the update report be noted.

Supporting documents: