Lists of Accessible Taxis under S167 Equality Act 2010

The request was successful.

Dear Cannock Chase District 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

Info Manager, Cannock Chase District Council

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If it is in regard to a Freedom of Information request you will receive a
response from us within 20 working days of the date of this email.

 

Thank you

Information Manager

Cannock Chase Council

 

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Info Manager, Cannock Chase District Council

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Paulley

Thank you for your request for information.

Please find below our responses in the order they were asked.

1a) Yes 1b) Yes
2) None before s167. None since s167.
3) Yes, an informal list was first produced in 2010 and is continually updated.
4) A formal mechanism of driver exemption has been in place for approx. 10 years. A published list of wheelchair accessible vehicles and driver duties will be inforce by the end of May 2017.
5) That licensed vehicles are capable of carrying a wheelchair whilst the passenger is seated within it.
6) In accordance with the Government guidance as well as the Council's own taxi/private hire and enforcement policies.
7) Please find attached.

If you have any queries relating to how your request has been handled in relation to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 please feel free to contact me.

You can also complain to the Information Commissioner at:
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 01625 545 700
www.ico.org.uk

Yours sincerely,

Information Manager
Cannock Chase Council

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