Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to make taxis more accessible for disabled people.

The Department recognises the vital services that taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs) provide for many disabled people, and is taking a number of steps to ensure that they are accessible to everyone that wishes to use them.

The Department recently amended the law to make it a criminal offence for drivers of designated taxi and private hire vehicles to refuse to carry passengers in wheelchairs, to fail to provide them with appropriate assistance, or to charge them extra, unless they hold a medical exemption certificate issued by the local licensing authority.

In addition, the Department plans to consult shortly on revised Best Practice Guidance for local licensing authorities, which will include strengthened recommendations relating to the provision of disability awareness training for taxi and private hire vehicle drivers and to authorities’ response to alleged instances of assistance dog refusal.