Lists of Accessible Taxis under S167 Equality Act 2010
Doug Paulley made this Freedom of Information request to West Lothian Council as part of a batch sent to 32 authorities This request has been closed to new correspondence. Contact us if you think it should be reopened.
Dear West Lothian Council,
1) Please advise if you have produced, or currently intend to produce, a list of wheelchair accessible:
a) taxis
and
b) private hire vehicles
under the powers set out in S167 of the Equality Act 2010.
2) Please identify how many a) taxi and b) PHV drivers have applied for medical / physical impairment exemption under S166 of the Equality Act 2010 since S166 was commenced. If you've created a list under S167, please identify how many of the exemptions were in place before S167 and how many have been put in since.
3) Please state whether you voluntarily compiled a list of accessible taxis and private hire vehicles following the Department for Transport's guidance of 15th September 2010, which stated, in relation to section 167, “although the list of designated vehicles will have no actual effect in law until the duties are commenced, we would urge licensing authorities to start maintaining a list as soon as possible for the purpose of liaising with the trade and issuing exemption certificates”. If you did produce such a voluntary list, please indicate when you did so, and provide the current list.
If you have produced a list of wheelchair accessible taxis and/or private hire vehicles under S167, or are going to, please tell me the following.
4) The date the list was instated or by which you intend to do so.
5) The accessibility requirements of a taxi for it to appear on the list.
6) How you intend to enforce drivers' compliance with S165.
7) The list.
Yours faithfully,
Doug Paulley
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Mr Paulley
I refer to your attached FOI request.
The answers to your questions are detailed below in red -
1) Please advise if you have produced, or currently intend to produce, a
list of wheelchair accessible:
a) taxis
and
b) private hire vehicles
under the powers set out in S167 of the Equality Act 2010.
A1. We have not yet produced a list of list of wheelchair accessible
taxis and private hire vehicles under the powers set out in S167 of the
Equality Act 2010 as the guidance for Scottish councils and style
exemption notices has not yet been issued.
2) Please identify how many a) taxi and b) PHV drivers have applied for
medical / physical impairment exemption under S166 of the Equality Act
2010 since S166 was commenced. If you've created a list under S167, please
identify how many of the exemptions were in place before S167 and how many
have been put in since.
A2. We have 28 drivers from a total of over 800 who have been issued with
medical certificates exempting them from assisting passengers. We have
not had any significant increase in applications for exemption following
the conditions referred to below being imposed.
3) Please state whether you voluntarily compiled a list of accessible
taxis and private hire vehicles following the Department for Transport's
guidance of 15th September 2010, which stated, in relation to section 167,
¿although the list of designated vehicles will have no actual effect in
law until the duties are commenced, we would urge licensing authorities to
start maintaining a list as soon as possible for the purpose of liaising
with the trade and issuing exemption certificates¿. If you did produce
such a voluntary list, please indicate when you did so, and provide the
current list.
A3. We have not complied such a list. However, following a review in 2009
all our taxi vehicles and our Type 2 PHCs are required to meet an
accessibility standard and our conditions for drivers provide that they
must assist disabled passengers as required in the Equality Act 2010
unless they are exempt from doing so on medical grounds. Exemption
certificates are only issued following an independent medical assessment.
I attach a copy of our hire car conditions.
If you have produced a list of wheelchair accessible taxis and/or private
hire vehicles under S167, or are going to, please tell me the following.
4) The date the list was instated or by which you intend to do so. not
5) The accessibility requirements of a taxi for it to appear on the list.
6) How you intend to enforce drivers' compliance with S165.
7) The list.
A4 – 7 not applicable.
If you have any complaint about the Council's handling of your request for
information, you may require the Council to review its actions and
decisions in relation to this response. Please write, within 40 working
days from the receipt of this information, to Carol Johnston, Chief
Solicitor, West Lothian Council, West Lothian Civic Centre, Howden South
Road, Livingston EH54 6FF (Telephone: 01506 281605, email:
[1][email address]). The request should be in writing,
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specify the original request for information and the reason for your
dissatisfaction.
You may, within a further six months, if you are dissatisfied with the
outcome or with the Council's failure to review its actions and decisions
in relation to this response, apply in writing to the Scottish Information
Commissioner, Kinburn Castle, Doubledykes Road, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9DS
(01334 464610; email [2][email address]) requesting her
decision in this matter.
Audrey Watson
Managing Solicitor – Licensing
01506 281624
Postal address
Licensing Team
West Lothian Civic Centre
Howden South Road
Livingston
EH54 6FF
Email: [email address]
Licensing Team email addresses:
[3][email address] (for liquor licensing and gambling
enquires)
[4][email address] (for all other licensing
enquiries)
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http://www.westlothian.gov.uk/media/1597...
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