Accessibility of taxis and private hire vehicles

The request was successful.

Dear Cheshire East Council,
How many current hackney carriage (taxi) licensees have you issued
(over the last full year)?
How many current Private Hire vehicle licences have you issued
(over the last full year)?
What are your accessibility requirements for hackney carriage
vehicles?
Do you require hackney carriage licencesees to undergo training in
disabilty awareness and if so what does this involve?
Do you require private hire vehicle licensees to undergo training
in disability awareness and if so what does this involve?
Do you inspect the taxis and wheelchair accessible vehicles for
accessibility
Do you carry out spot checks for safety including ensuring that
wheelchair users are positioned so that they can use the seat
belts
do you check that taxis have a useable step available to assist
access
do you use 'mystery disabled customers' to test the service to
disabled people. If so what were the results.
How many complaints have you had about service from disabled
passengers about taxis (over the last full year)? What percentage
is that of overall
complaints?
How many complaints have you had about service from disabled
passengers about private hire vehicles (over the last full year?
What percentage is that of
overall complaints?
How have you resolved the complaints from disabled passengers?
Do taxis capable of carrying wheelchairs get preferential access
eg
bus lanes and pedestrian areas?
How many of your drivers are exempt from carrying wheelchair users
on health grounds? Are these drivers refused preferential access?

Yours faithfully,

Mary Carr

FOI East, Cheshire East Council

Dear Ms Carr

Thank you for your email.

It will be treated as a request for information within the meaning of the Freedom of Information Act: this means that we will send you a full response within 20 working days, either supplying you with the information which you want, or explaining to you why we cannot supply it. If we need any further clarification or there is any problem we will be in touch.

In the meantime if you wish to discuss this further please contact me. It would be helpful if you could quote the log number 806303

Yours sincerely

Rose Raine
Compliance Officer
Compliance Unit
Cheshire East Council
Tel 01270 686605

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SIMESTER, Peter, Cheshire East Council

 

 

Peter Simester

Licensing Administration Officer

Cheshire East Council

Westfields

Middlewich Road

Sandbach

CW11 1HZ

Tel: 0300 123 5015

 

From: SIMESTER, Peter
Sent: 03 May 2013 15:07
To: '[email address]'
Cc: FOI East
Subject: Freedom of information request 86303 : Hackney Carriages &
Private Hire vehicles

 

Good afternoon,

 

Thank you for your e-mail requesting details of the accessibility of taxi
and private hire vehicles.

 

The information requested is as follows:

 

1. Number of Hackney Carriage licences issued in the last year (to
31/3/13) is 498.  This includes first grants and renewals.

 

2. Number of Private Hire vehicle licences issued in the last year is
298.  This includes first grants and renewals.

 

3. Accessibility requirements, Hackney Carriages:

 

Cheshire East Council area is divided into three zones.  The requirements
for each zone are:

 

Zone 1 : Congleton area : There is a limit of 42 Hackney Carriages in this
area.  Half of them have ‘grandfather rights’, the remainder must be
wheelchair accessible.

 

Zone 2 : Crewe & Nantwich area: 38 vehicles have ‘grandfather rights’ and
are not required to have wheelchair facilities.  The remaining vehicles
and all newly licensed vehicles must be wheelchair accessible.

 

Zone 3 : Macclesfield: There is no requirement to have wheelchair
accessible vehicles.

 

4. Licensed drivers do not have to undergo compulsory disability awareness
training at present.

 

5. As Q4.  (This Council only issues a joint Hackney Carriage & Private
Hire driver licence).

 

6. Yes.  All vehicles are inspected annually.  Vehicles over 7 years old
are inspected every 6 months. 

 

7. Yes, spot checks on vehicles are carried out regularly.

 

8. Steps are checked at annual (and six monthly, where appropriate)
inspections.

 

9. Mystery disabled customers are not used at present.

 

10. We have 4 recorded complaints from disabled passengers (Hackney
Carriages).   Percentage of total complaints is unknown.

 

11. We have no recorded complaints from disabled passengers (Private
Hire).  Percentage of total complaints is 0%.

 

12. Two of the complaints were referred to the Council’s Licensing
Sub-committee.  The remainder were resolved by officers.

 

13. Hackney Carriage vehicles are permitted to use bus lanes.

 

14. No licensed drivers are exempt from carrying wheelchair users.

 

If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your
request and wish to make a complaint or request a review, under the
Freedom of Information Act you should write to the Customer Relations and
Compliance Team, Cheshire East Council, Westfields, Middlewich Road,
Sandbach, Cheshire, CW11 1HZ.

 

If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint, you may apply
directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision.  Generally, the
ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints
procedure provided by the Council.  The Information Commissioner can be
contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water
Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

 

Thank you.

 

Peter Simester

Licensing Administration Officer

Cheshire East Council

Westfields

Middlewich Road

Sandbach

CW11 1HZ

Tel: 0300 123 5015

 

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