Research shows that there is a shortage of wheelchair accessible vehicles licensed as taxis in North Yorkshire. We licenses about 70 vehicles, which represents one for every 9,000 residents.
Although wheelchair accessible vehicles provision is typically lower in rural authorities than in urban areas, the best performing rural authorities make provision for one wheelchair accessible vehicle for every 2,000 to 3,000 people. To reach a similar ratio, we would need to license around 200 more wheelchair accessible vehicles.
We have identified several options to increase the number of wheelchair accessible vehicles across the county, and welcome people’s views on what they believe might be the most suitable.
We are also asking people to share their views on the draft Inclusive Service Plan. The Inclusive Service Plan focuses on the needs of people whose access requirements are apparent when using public transport, such as wheelchair users and assistance dog owners, but also on the needs of people with less visible disabilities.
We are also seeking views on changes to the hackney carriage and private hire licensing policy. Although this is targeted at the trade, anybody can share their views. This could include changes to age limits, issuing restricted private hire driver licences, reducing the frequency of driver medical assessments, and assessing the minimum luggage space that is required.
The closing date for this consultation is Wednesday 30 April 2025.