This is a written answer to parliament which indicates some movement, sometime.
12th November 2008 Taxis: Disabled
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what requirements there are on licensing authorities in England outside London to change hackney carriage bylaws to require the provision of wheelchair-accessible taxis; and what guidance his Department has issued on the (a) timing of and (b) transition through these changes. [234994]
Paul Clark: The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 gave the Government the power to introduce accessibility regulations for several land-based modes of transport. Regulations have been introduced for trains and trams and for buses and coaches. However, no regulations have yet been developed and put in place for licensed taxis. Accessible taxi policies are currently a matter for individual local licensing authorities in line with general advice that the Department for Transport has issued to licensing authorities in 2002, 2004 and 2006.
However, there remains a need to improve access to taxis for disabled people and we are committed to resolving this matter in a way that delivers the outcomes that disabled people, local authorities and the taxi industry would like to see. The Department will be publishing a consultation package very shortly that will look closely at the issues involved and will seek views on the way forward.
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