Wheelchair-accessible taxis/private hire vehicles and assistance dogs

Passengers in wheelchairs

We license a number of vehicles that are constructed or adapted to safely carry passengers in wheelchairs. These vehicles include additional features such as ramps or lifts, restraint points for securely holding a wheelchair in place, and seatbelts for passengers in wheelchairs. All of our licensed accessible vehicles have either been built and tested in accordance with a manufacturer's specification, approved by the UK Department for Transport or an EU member state, or have been fully tested by VOSA to ensure their safety.

We have designated a number of licensed taxis and private hire vehicles under section 167 of the Equality Act 2010, and details of these vehicles (together with contact details for the owner, if they have consented to us including them) can be found in the list below.

This list will be updated from time to time, so please check this page regularly for the latest version.

 Wheelchair accessible taxis (PDF 268KB)

It is a criminal offence for the driver of a designated taxi to refuse to carry a passenger in a wheelchair, or assist them in entering or exiting the taxi and loading any luggage they may have. Complaints about drivers failing to carry out these duties can be reported via our taxi complaints page.

A small number of drivers may hold exemption certificates. These exempt them from the legal duties due to a medical or physical condition. Any such drivers must display an official notice, issued by us, advising of this.

Passengers with assistance dogs

Every licensed taxi and private hire vehicle is required to carry assistance dogs with their owner, and it is a criminal offence for a driver to refuse to do so. It is also an offence for a private hire operator to refuse to take a booking because it involves carrying an assistance dog, or for drivers or operators to charge a higher fare for carrying an assistance dog.

This duty applies to assistance dogs trained by charities affiliated to Assistance Dogs UK, or other similar UK or overseas organisations. It also applies to dogs that have been trained by their owners to carry out this role.

Complaints about drivers or operators refusing to carry assistance dogs can be reported via our taxi complaints page.

A small number of taxi drivers may hold exemption certificates. These exempt them from the legal duties due to a medical condition. Any such drivers must display an official notice, issued by us, advising of this.

Information for taxi drivers

The  Taxi and private hire licensing policy (PDF 1.4MB) sets out details about our expectations of how drivers will treat passengers in wheelchairs, and passengers with assistance dogs. 

Drivers with medical conditions, which mean that they cannot safely carry out the legal duties relating to passengers in wheelchairs or passengers with assistance dogs, can apply for an exemption certificate. To apply, please complete the form below with details of your medical condition, and submit this to the Licensing department. You will also need to provide supporting evidence from doctors treating you for the condition. The policy above gives further information on how we will process exemption applications.

Page Last Updated: Monday, 12 December 2022 at 01:17 PM