List of designated wheelchair accessible vehicles (Equality Act 2010)

Section 167 of the Equality Act 2010 requires all local authorities to maintain and publish a list of designated wheelchair accessible vehicles. The list includes taxis (hackney carriages) and private hire vehicles.

Our list of designated wheelchair accessible vehicles is updated on a monthly basis and shows:

Whether the vehicle is a taxi or a private hire vehicle
The licence number of the vehicle
The make and model of the vehicle
Where applicable, the private hire operator
Where consent has been given, a contact phone number for bookings

All vehicles that feature on our list of designated wheelchair accessible vehicles must be large enough to accommodate a passenger seated in a “reference wheelchair”

Driver’s duties under the Equality Act 2010

All drivers have duties placed on them under the Equality Act 2010, for example:

If the passenger is in, or has with them a wheelchair, to carry the wheelchair
If the passenger has with them any mobility aids, to carry the mobility aids
To provide reasonable levels of mobility assistance, which includes enabling a passenger to get into or out of the vehicle, to load the passenger's luggage, wheelchair or mobility aids into or out of the vehicle
Where the driver has been made aware that the passenger requires assistance to identify or find their vehicle, take such steps as are reasonable to assist the passenger to identify and find the vehicle.

However, drivers of a hackney carriage or private hire vehicles that appears on our designated wheelchair accessible list have additional duties that are specifically applied to them:

To carry the passenger while in the wheelchair
To ensure that the wheelchair is positioned in such a way so that the wheelchair user is facing towards the front or rear of the vehicle
To carry the passenger’s wheelchair if the wheelchair user chooses to sit in a passenger seat during the journey
If the passenger has with them any mobility aids, to carry the mobility aids
To take such steps as are necessary to ensure that the wheelchair user is carried in safe and reasonable comfort
To provide reasonable levels of mobility assistance to the wheelchair user, which includes enabling the passenger to get into or out of the vehicle. If the passenger wishes to remain in the wheelchair to enable the passenger to get into and out of the vehicle while in the wheelchair, to load the passenger's luggage or mobility aids into or out of the vehicle and if the passenger does not wish to remain in the wheelchair, to load the wheelchair into or out of the vehicle

Failure to comply with any of the above duties is a criminal offence.

However, where a driver has a medical condition or where their physical condition makes it impossible or unreasonably difficult for them to comply with the duties shown above, a driver can apply for a medical exemption certificate. Where an exemption has been granted to a driver, the driver must display in their vehicle a Council issued medical exemption certificate confirming the exemption. This certificate will be fixed in the front windscreen on the passenger side of the vehicle or, where the vehicle is fitted with a partition, displayed on the partition.

Operator duties under the Equality Act 2010

In addition to the duties placed on drivers, private hire operators have duties that are place on them under the Equality Act 2010.

Operators must ensure that appropriate questions are asked at the booking stage as to whether a passenger will require assistance and, if so, what form of assistance is required, for example, asking questions about the size of any wheelchair so that an appropriate sized vehicle can be allocated to the booking. Operators must ensure that all relevant information is passed on the driver prior to commencement of the journey, so the driver is aware of what assistance is required.

An operator cannot attempt to identify a persons impairment or disability, only what type of assistance the driver needs to provide in order for the passenger to board, travel in and alight from the vehicle in safety and reasonable comfort.

Contact Licensing

taxis@shropshire.gov.uk
0345 678 9046