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New laws have been introduced to help protect disabled people travelling around England, Scotland and Wales when using taxis and private hire vehicles. The new law has been described as the most significant change to taxi and private hire vehicle legislation in 12 years.
The new Taxi and Private Hire Vehicles (Disabled Persons) Act 2022 came into force on 28th June and amends the Equalities Act of 2010 and now places duties on taxi or PHV drivers and operators to ensure that disabled people will receive help to allow them to travel with dignity and confidence. The new law also protects disabled travellers against extra charges.
As part of the new law, drivers can face fines of up to £1,000 if they fail to provide reasonable mobility assistance to travellers using pre-booked vehicles. The updates also ensure that visually impaired passengers will be assisted by drivers and there will be a duty for local authorities to publicly identify wheelchair accessible vehicles.
The amendments to the Equality Act 2010 have been developed by the Department of Transport as part of its work to support the Inclusive Transport Strategy. The act was introduced by Jeremy Wright QC MP as a Private Members’ Bill. Further changes will mean that even drivers granted exemption from assistance duties because of medical needs will still need to accept the carriage of disabled passengers and will not be able to charge them more than other passengers. The improvement to access of services will benefit a wide range of disabled passengers, as well as their friends and family.
Wendy Morton, Accessibility Minister, said: “It is fantastic that the updated legislation and guidance will help ensure that all disabled people receive assistance when using taxis and PHVs. Disabled people account for around a fifth of the population and our Inclusive Transport Strategy is making travel more accessible for all.”
In March 2022, Department for Travel announced a £2.5 million package to help disabled people travel more confidently. This includes funding towards mobility centre across England to enhance access to lifeline ferry services. It is believed that these changes will benefit 13.7 million people.
