Wheelchair accessible register
Sandwell Council's Taxi Licensing Team and licensed Taxi and Private Hire Operators work together to maintain a service which is fully inclusive for all passengers wishing to use a licensed Sandwell taxi or private hire vehicle for travel. Sandwell Taxi Licensing Team maintains a register of those Operators who operate vehicles adapted for disabled people who use a wheelchair. The vehicles on this register are adapted to or are purpose built to carry a wheelchair.
All drivers of the vehicles detailed on this register will have completed a Wheelchair Assessment from the Council's appointed assessor. Furthermore, all licensed drivers are required under the Sandwell Council, Private Hire and Hackney Carriage Licensing Policy Handbook to afford all reasonable assistance to passengers as may be required both at the start and conclusion of any journey and offer all reasonable assistance to passengers entering or leaving the vehicle and assist them with luggage or any disability aids or wheelchair.
What's in the register?
Within the register there are two types of vehicle:
- A taxi or hackney carriage (also called a cab or black cab) is a public transport vehicle which is licensed to carry passengers. They can be hailed in the street, are permitted to park and pick up passengers on a taxi rank and can be pre-booked via certain Private Hire Operators. All Sandwell licensed hackney carriages are wheelchair accessible.
- A private hire vehicle is a public transport vehicle which is licensed to carry passengers but which must be pre-booked via a Private Hire Operator. Some private hire vehicles are wheelchair accessible as they are vehicles which are either purpose built or adapted to do so.
The register contains details of all the vehicles that are currently capable of carrying wheelchairs, the size of wheelchair they can carry and whether or not they are capable of carrying more than one wheelchair at a time. The register also gives the contact number for the operator to book the vehicle and in some cases whether or not the vehicle is capable of carrying more than one wheelchair. We are unable to give contact details for hackney carriages that are operated by a driver, but where they also work for an operator, the contact details for that operator are listed. A standard wheelchair would be classed as follows:
The size/definition of a standard wheelchair for public transport purposes is measured as follows:
1350mm in height measured from the floor to the top of the user's head with the users feet being 150mm from the ground measured from the ground to the top of a normal shoe, and their knees being up to 1200mm from the ground.
The length of the wheelchair to measure, no more than 1200mm and the width of the wheelchair to measure, no more than 700mm.
Drivers of the vehicles detailed on this register should offer as a minimum the following assistance unless they hold an exemption certificate (which they must carry in their vehicle at all times if they wish to claim the exemption):
- Opening the passenger door
- Folding manual wheelchairs and placing them in the luggage compartment
- Installing the boarding ramp
- Securing a mobility aid within the passenger compartment
- The requirement not to charge a disabled person extra means that a meter should not be activated before, or left running, whilst the driver performs duties required by the Equality Act 2010.
Wheelchair Accessible Register - List of Designated Vehicles