Ways to increase the number of wheelchair-accessible taxis in Portsmouth are being investigated
Ways to pay for more wheelchair accessible taxis across Portsmouth are being explored - including the possibility of the council borrowing money to pay for it.
The call to action follows a notice of motion highlighting the limited number of wheelchair-accessible taxis, especially during busy times like school runs and evenings.
It comes as an Aqua Cars spokesperson recently told the licensing committee that purchasing a wheelchair-accessible vehicle costs between £45,000 and £50,000.
“With the Disability Act, you’re not allowed to charge more for a private hire car than the standard fares,” the spokesperson said. “Drivers face a choice: do they buy a £50,000 car or a £15,000 car for the same income? We used to have 84 wheelchair-accessible private hire vehicles; now we’re down to around 28.”
Councillor Yinka Adeniran, who seconded the original motion alongside Councillor Charlotte Gerada, asked trade representatives calling for more accessible taxis in the city what the council can do to make Portsmouth more inclusive for wheelchair users.
In response, a taxi driver criticised the council’s and the government’s approach to funding bus services, stating that many buses wouldn’t run without financial support.
“All these buses probably affect the hackney carriage trade more than the private hire side,” he argued. He added that when buses are less frequent, people are more inclined to hail a taxi, whereas in Portsmouth, buses turn up “every five minutes.”
In January, the council accepted a £48m grant from the Department for Transport to fund various bus service improvements, including two new 24-hour services.
Councillor George Madgwick encouraged Councillor Adeniran and licensing committee chair Councillor Emily Strudwick to table a notice of motion to the full council, lobbying the government for more funding for taxi drivers.
The committee welcomed the recommendation in the report, which noted current work to provide a business case for borrowing money “for a scheme to provide wheelchair-accessible taxis to the private hire and taxi trade.”