Daventry taxi drivers strike over wheelchair accessibility mandate

Taxi drivers in Daventry have staged a strike in protest against new licensing rules that will require all hackney carriage vehicles to be wheelchair accessible from January 2026. The demonstration took place outside the Abbey Centre, where West Northamptonshire Council’s taxi licensing office is based.

The BBC reported that council’s updated Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Policy mandates that all hackney carriage vehicles must be wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs) by the start of next year. Existing non-WAVs will only be licensed until the end of December 2025, with no exemptions for current vehicle owners.

Drivers say the policy threatens their livelihoods, citing the high cost of replacing vehicles and a lack of financial support. Sopiya Thanikasalam, representing the Daventry Taxi Drivers’ Union, said: “How are we supposed to afford to buy a wheelchair accessible vehicle? We’d be forced to find another job.” She added that the transition should be “realistic, fair, and supportive of those whose livelihoods are directly affected.”

The council maintains that the policy was subject to consultation with the trade in 2022 and a formal 12-week public consultation in 2023 before being approved in October of that year. However, drivers argue that the council has not adequately considered the financial implications or provided evidence of demand for WAVs across the county.

Ms Thanikasalam questioned the basis for the decision, asking: “What’s the research showing the number of people who need wheelchair accessible vehicles in the county [that justifies] changing every single taxi?”

A meeting between the union and council representatives is scheduled for October, where drivers hope to receive clarity and advocate for a more phased or flexible approach to implementation.