New laws will ensure the 13.7 million disabled people and those with accessibility issues across England, Scotland and Wales will receive the assistance they need and not be charged over the odds when using taxis and private hire vehicles.
The new Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Disabled Persons) Act 2022, which came into force on 28th June, is the most significant change to taxi accessibility legislation since the Equality Act was introduced 12 years ago.
Isle of Wight residents could potentially benefit well from the accessibility legislation after recent census data from the Office for National Statistics stated the Islands pensioner population had gone up by 25% in the last 10 years.
As part of the amendments, taxi and PHV drivers could face fines of up to £1,000 if they fail to provide reasonable mobility assistance to disabled passengers taking a pre-booked vehicle.
This will also ensure that visually impaired passengers will be assisted by drivers to help them identify or find the vehicle. There will also be a duty for local authorities to publicly identify wheelchair-accessible vehicles in their fleets.
The measures will apply to drivers in England, Scotland and Wales and will help to provide consistency of experience for affected passengers.
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.
Article continues below this advertisement “Disabled people account for around a fifth of the population and our Inclusive Transport Strategy is making travel more accessible for all.”
The Act was a Private Members’ Bill introduced by Jeremy Wright QC MP. Another change will mean that even drivers granted exemption from assistance duties on account of medical needs must still accept the carriage of disabled passengers and will not be able to charge them more than others.
Disabled people account for around a fifth of the population.
And a sizeable percentage of these will be making out to be disabled, to claim benefits rather than work, as well as burdening taxi drivers with their presence.
As both the genuine disabled and so called ‘disabled’ receive more money than the normal unemployed, and are able to gain a mobility car, then why should they get cheaper fares, which all normal people will then have to pay more to cover these, cake and eat it too genuine AND many many freeloaders
As you rightly say many are swindling the system, and mental health is the latest hard to prove scam. Well known scam on every council estate I know.
So is single parents who rarely if ever sleep alone.
Benefits should be the same for everyone, whether disabled or single parents as anything else is too open to fraud.
you might need a wheelchair one day ..be kind to others
Good point, and also,
why are there no old people no more.
The old school kind.
The old ladys who used to walk up hills with there backs hunched over pulling there trollys behind them, whist holding on to their hair scarf/net through the wind and rain whilst having a fag hunging from there mouth whilst having lived through the blitz ect ect.
The new old people however, don’t know there born, what with there electric disabled scooters in which they do not need and there silly northen acents demanding respect for no apparent reason….?
Lazy f***s !!!!
I hear you brother.
So more adhd, and other half baked scammers wth fake mental illness will be getting cheap fares which normal, useful people then have to pay more to cover the scroungers.
All for true handicapped people getting help, BUT that is why they receive MORE in disability benefits to pay for such things.
As usual cake, and eat it too, whilst normal people get no extra but pay more in fares to cover those with all the time in the world.
While others may have done in-depth research into the new rules and therefore know more than I about them, there is nothing in this article that says disabled people will get cheaper fares. Only that those who need help with mobility cannot be charged extra.
The hate brigade is at full battle cry!
Sharpend pitchforks and flaming torches, theyl be coming for you soon.
Q. Why was there no ADHD in years gone by?
A. Because a deficit of attention was remedied by a slap across the face – it focused the attention and suddenly no more attention deficit.
I sincerely hope that you are, actually, a troll who is merely posting to wind people up and cause upset.
Because the alternative is that you actually are the nasty, twisted, bitter, unpleasant, bile-filled and hateful old git that your posts suggest you are.
Whatever the subject, whether it’s people who need help, people who have made a success of their lives people doing charity work or have got themselves in a bit of a scrape, your hate-filled venom comes forth.
and your hand wringing, do gooding, lefty claptrap is rolled out soon after. It is people like you that open the doors to all spongers and take the word of every sob story and sad case going that has ensured that we are paying higher taxes and overrun with immigrants.
look around zog – if you want to see the end result of this dross – take a look at the state of some american cities – their lefty, liberal do gooding has resulted in hell on earth.
I lived in Oslo for a while. You should see what their lefty liberal woke do-gooding has done to that city.
Utterly terrible that you can walk the streets at night with little to fear.
Grow up. The US is the way it is because of their brutal justice system, not despite of it.
Lefty liberal do-gooding in the US? Don’t make me laugh, they have two political parties, one is right wing, the other is extreme right wing.
The article does not refer to whether those with disabilities receive additional financial support, i.e. PIP (Personal Independence Payment). It is saying that the law is changed to ensure those with disabilities are not charged more for a taxi. I know that some taxi firms have charged their customers extra when transporting their support dogs simultaneously.
With regards to disability benefits, not everyone with a disability (physical or mental impairment) is awarded the mobility element of PIP. Therefore, if they are unsuccessful with their claim for PIP (Mobility), they are not entitled to rent a mobility car.