Taxi safety is prime concern

Herefordshire Council has agreed a way forward to ensure taxis and private hire vehicles converted for wheelchair access are safe.

The council previously suspended licences of vehicles that had been converted from vans because the owners were unable to demonstrate that the work had been properly assessed and passed as safe. The move followed complaints from the taxi trade itself. For the vast majority of taxis on the road it was business as usual but other vehicles originally built to carry passengers, that have been subsequently modified to carry passengers with disabilities, also needed safety documentation.

The council had sought further advice from the Public Carriage Office, which licenses taxis in London, Department of Transport and VOSA (Vehicle and Operator Services Agency), which is responsible for assessing additional vehicle safety requirements. Additionally, the council has also examined other approaches by other local authorities and the industry standards.

The council's regulatory committee decided that all passenger vehicles fitted with wheelchair access when initially registered, or those modified after registration, may apply for a new vehicle licence but only if it has the appropriate VOSA test certificate. Vehicles built by a manufacturer will be approved if it can be shown they are made consistently to the right safety standard, and those modified also need to have been done so consistently to the right safety standard.

All vehicles licensed for the first time before 18 December 2007, that are wheelchair accessible or converted, will be reviewed by the committee at the end of September.

"Herefordshire Council puts the safety of the travelling public first. We particularly need to ensure that people who use wheelchairs do not receive a lower standard of safety than anyone else", said the council's director of environment and culture Michael Hainge. "We are listening very carefully to local taxi operators and to manufacturers, and have tried to make concessions to help them. However we will not, under any circumstances, compromise passenger safety".

A member of the taxi trade originally raised concerns for the safety of converted vans and wheelchair access vehicles. The council's investigations found that tests did not assess the wheelchair access facilities fitted to vehicles, and to ensure these were safe, the council asked manufacturers to demonstrate they had quality procedures. The manufacturers could show a test had been carried out on a prototype, however to obtain assurances that every vehicle that is fitted with wheelchair access facilities, that is consistently manufactured to that standard, the council continues to work with the manufacturers.