These provisions only apply to Hackney
Cabs, the type you can hail in the street or pick up from a taxi
rank (the white ones with aquamarine bonnet and in the city of
Brighton & Hove). They do not apply to private hire vehicles, the
type of cab that can only be ordered directly from a taxi firm.
When the Council in Swindon ordered that all Hackney Cabs be WAVs it resulted in 80% of Hackney Cab transferring to the private hire sector.
Why did this happen? Because Hackney Cabs are operated by self employed owner drivers the majority of whom could not afford the £25,000+ cost of changing their vehicles from saloons to WAVs. If the required percentage of WAVs is set too high there is every reason to fear that what happened in Swindon will also happen in Brighton & Hove. If you are concerned at the prospect of Hackney Cab saloon cars becoming a rarity on the streets of our City, please take a few moments of your time to answer the questionnaire HERE.
As a final point, the Equalities Act 2010 is intended to assist ALL disabled people, yet disabled people who do not require a wheelchair actually find WAVs extremely difficult, and in certain cases, impossible to use.The Hackney Cab owners of Brighton & Hove are committed to providing a fair and equal service to ALL their passengers, please help us to provide the service YOU want. Below (under the new fares ) is a section taken from the Brighton & Hove Halcrow Report October 2009. Use the side Scroll to view. The full 2009 Halcrow document can be accessed via the Documentation link.
When the Council in Swindon ordered that all Hackney Cabs be WAVs it resulted in 80% of Hackney Cab transferring to the private hire sector.
Why did this happen? Because Hackney Cabs are operated by self employed owner drivers the majority of whom could not afford the £25,000+ cost of changing their vehicles from saloons to WAVs. If the required percentage of WAVs is set too high there is every reason to fear that what happened in Swindon will also happen in Brighton & Hove. If you are concerned at the prospect of Hackney Cab saloon cars becoming a rarity on the streets of our City, please take a few moments of your time to answer the questionnaire HERE.
As a final point, the Equalities Act 2010 is intended to assist ALL disabled people, yet disabled people who do not require a wheelchair actually find WAVs extremely difficult, and in certain cases, impossible to use.The Hackney Cab owners of Brighton & Hove are committed to providing a fair and equal service to ALL their passengers, please help us to provide the service YOU want. Below (under the new fares ) is a section taken from the Brighton & Hove Halcrow Report October 2009. Use the side Scroll to view. The full 2009 Halcrow document can be accessed via the Documentation link.
Saloon type costing approximately £14,000
Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles (WAV) type costing £25,000 to £32,000+
The Equality Act 2010
contains provisions aimed at increasing the number of wheelchair
accessible vehicles (WAVs) in the Brighton & Hove area. At present
the ratio of WAVs to saloon cars in the City of Brighton & Hove is
23%.
Why should this concern me as a consumer?
They do not apply to private hire vehicles, the type of cab that can only be ordered directly from a taxi firm.
Why should this concern me as a consumer?
They do not apply to private hire vehicles, the type of cab that can only be ordered directly from a taxi firm.
