Wheelchair-accessible taxis and private hire vehicles decreases in Bedford

There are fewer wheelchair-accessible taxis and private hire vehicles available in Bedford than before the pandemic, new figures show.

Experts suggest the decrease in the number of licensed vehicles accessible for those with mobility difficulties is due to a lack of training and certification for the safe handling and transport of wheelchairs.

Department for Transport figures show Bedford had 624 licensed vehicles as of April, but only 73 could be used by people with mobility difficulties. That is a decline from March 2020, when there were 91.

Traditional taxis can be hailed from the street or train station – and do not need to be pre-booked like private hire vehicles. There were 59 taxis in Bedford, all of which are wheelchair accessible.

Most local authorities require all or part of their taxi fleet to be wheelchair-accessible, but only 5% of them have made it compulsory for private hire vehicles. Bedford only has this policy for taxis.

There are 565 minicabs in Bedford, 14 (2%) of which can offer a ride to a wheelchair user.

And more local authorities have started requiring disability awareness training for taxi and private hire vehicles drivers in 2023.

However – Bedford Borough Council does not require any drivers to have it.

We have approached Bedford Borough Council for a response on numerous occasions about this.

James Farrar, general secretary of the App Drivers and Couriers Union said: “Big operator firms such as Uber and Addison Lee have not set minimum availability requirements for their fleets, have not committed to minimum service standards and have not provided adequate pay or financial support for drivers to afford the premium cost of these vehicles.

“Likewise, licensing authorities have generally not insisted on such standards as a condition of operator licensing.”

David Lawrie, director of the National Private Hire and Taxi Association said wheelchair-accessible vehicles are often too expensive for drivers to buy, with accessible electric vehicles costing around £70,000.

Mr Lawrie added: “There is a massive drop in drivers. And the reason for that is because of lack of government support through Covid.

“Many drivers have gone into the courier business of food deliveries… And they are not going to come back because of the pressure and the regulations on the industry.”

A DfT spokesperson said: “While it's down to local authorities to manage wheelchair accessible vehicles in their fleet, the Government is backing passengers with disability awareness training for drivers and bolstered laws, including fines, for those who fail to provide reasonable assistance.”

The DfT figures show there were five taxis and private hire vehicles for every 1,000 people in England and Wales at the beginning of April.

Bedford has a lower rate with 3.4 per 1,000 people.