Older passengers will bear the brunt when hackney cabs are all required to be wheelchair accessible, claims Wigan driver

The move is due to be fully implemented by 2026 and will form part of the borough's minimum licensing standards - however drivers are saying the "one size fits all" policy doesn't take into account that elderly people struggle to get in these vehicles because of the height of them.

The ruling covers not only black cabs, or hackney carriages, but also other licensed saloon models such as the Peugeot Partner, Ford Transit Connect, and VW Caddy. Private hire vehicles that have to be pre-booked are not affected.

Steven McClymont, one of the officers for the Wigan branch of the North West Taxi Association, said: "There are not just wheelchair users with disabilities, and we feel that all disabilities should be catered for.

"Under the minimum licensing standards not only do drivers have to be compliant with the clean air zone, but drivers also have to have wheelchair accessible vehicles that are under 15 years old.

"This means that when saloon vehicles come to 10 years old after April 2026 all vehicles when age limits run out have to go to wheelchair accessible.

"The minimum licensing standards have not taken into consideration wheelchair accessible vehicles that are considerably higher than a normal saloon car and older people struggle to get in higher vehicles.

"We believe that a mixed fleet services all our customers, from wheelchair users to pensioners, and that if this option is taken away this will reduce work on the taxi ranks for drivers who are already struggling."

He added: "Part of the minimum licensing standards is colour of vehicles and drivers aren’t against having all black cars, but with the expense of this wheelchair accessible vehicle policy this is likely to put drivers out of business.

"We also have just had a unmet demand survey and nothing came up about any unmet demand for taxis on ranks or any unmet demand for wheelchair users."

Wigan cab driver Ufuk (also known as Mike) Goksuacik said: "I have many elderly passengers who are not happy about getting into wheelchair accessible cars because they are too high for them.

"I typically only have about one or two customers a month who are wheelchair users as they usually have their own specially adapted vehicles.

"For old people who are pushing their trolleys, the wheelchair accessible car is too high for them to lift their feet to get in, and the seats are also too high and uncomfortable. The hackney carriage vehicle I drive now is a saloon car which is easy for elderly people to get in and sit down."

Taxi drivers have also said the trade is suffering due to the cost of living and out of town private hire vehicles appearing in Wigan with lower running costs than Wigan hackney carriages and private hire vehicles.

A new study released by taxi insurance experts at Zego revealed Wigan was the 10th most expensive town or city to be a taxi driver in the UK, with a total start-up cost of £1,536.30.

Start-up factors include the average cost taxi insurance, initial cost of a DBS certificate, average cost of a taxi licensing fee (for three years) and the average cost of petrol per litre.

Sten Saar, CEO of Zego, said: “Today taxi drivers are an essential part of society, transporting members of the public daily. In recent times, taxi drivers have felt the brunt of inflation across the UK."

A Wigan Council spokesperson said “Wigan Council agreed in 2021 that all 136 licensed hackney carriages must be wheelchair accessible by 1 April 2026 (unless otherwise stated); joining the majority of Greater Manchester councils who already had these standards in place.

“The aim of this is to ensure that no one who needs to use a wheelchair, or has other additional needs, has to wait on a rank for a suitable vehicle to be available.

“Recognising the current shortage of second-hand vehicles and uncertainty around replacement funding through the Clean Air Plan, this policy has been temporarily relaxed, allowing ‘saloon style’ vehicles to receive a license.

“These saloon cars will only be licensed to 1 April 2026, when all licensed hackney carriages must be wheelchair accessible.”