A long-delayed consultants' report has revealed a severe shortage of wheelchair-accessible taxis in Angus, with only nine such vehicles operating across the entire area.
This figure represents under 7% of the district's taxi fleet, falling significantly short of the Scottish Government's 20% target and starkly contrasting with Dundee's 40% accessibility rate.
The report, commissioned in 2020 and delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic and staff shortages, highlights major issues for the area's estimated 2,000 to 3,500 wheelchair users.
A study of 56 people found that 89% believed WAV availability was poor, and eight out of ten reported frequent booking difficulties.
Some towns, including Arbroath and Montrose, have no wheelchair-accessible taxis at all.
Taxi operators cited high vehicle costs and low perceived demand as reasons for the shortage, suggesting little scope for major change without external support.
The consultants' report, from The TAS Partnership, recommends a "national-level financial intervention" to help Angus meet accessibility targets, as the local taxi trade "does not have the economic scale to achieve accessibility targets without support."
The report was delivered to the council in July and it showed 85 taxis and 55 private hire cars in Angus. There are four WAV taxis and five WAV private hire cars which equates to just 6.4% of all cabs.
In contrast, the percentages for neighbouring council areas are:
The findings will be considered by councillors on Thursday, August 14, with a recommendation to form a working group to develop an action plan by early 2026.
Kind-hearted taxi drivers from Ayr gave up their time last week for the annual Ayr Taxi Day Out, treating families from Whiteleys Retreat to a memorable trip.
This comes six years after the council rejected a similar proposal, citing discrimination against men.
The driver, a 65-year-old from Stratford-upon-Avon, had failed to inform the licensing authority of these convictions, which totalled nine penalty points on his licence.
Jez Shepherd, 22, of Morecambe, was charged after a collision involving a black Fiat Punto and a white Ford Mondeo taxi on Westgate.
The applications were made by Sedbergh-based Lady Cab Taxis for a Vauxhall Insignia and Windermere-based Ace Taxi for a Toyota Prius Plus.
Drunk PC Lee Tilson punched one driver in the chest multiple times and attempted to grab a second driver through his car window in Chelmsford.
Aaron Burnicle, 36, was snared in a cross-border investigation after he sent explicit messages and images to what he believed was a 13-year-old girl on the messaging app Kik.
Transport for London (TfL) has issued a formal notice to remind taxi and private hire vehicle licence holders about the professional standards expected of them.
This guidance is issued for use by licensing authorities handling applications for taxi operator, taxi sector, private hire car, private hire vehicle or booking office driver licences.
The decision on Friday 8 August, follows a petition from a group of taxi drivers who argued that the market is "over-saturated" and causing "unsustainable pressure" on their trade.
Abdul Mashud was caught on August 23, 2024, after he agreed to take undercover Reading Council Licensing officers from a petrol station near the festival site to Slough Train Station for an inflated fare of £120.
On Thursday, I was at Bristol Airport working with 13 Police, DVSA and Licensing Colleagues from South Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Newport and Merthyr Tydfil.
To support the taxi trade’s high standards and passenger safety, an operation to stop and check private hire vehicles was carried out last weekend.
Lancashire Police are appealing for witnesses and footage following a fatal collision in Morecambe.
Officers from Leicestershire Roads Policing Unit (RPU) carried out the road safety operation on roads around East Midlands Airport, checking road worthiness of cars, particularly taxis and PHVs.
Members of the Wolverhampton Taxi and Private Hire Federation met on Tuesday, August 5, to discuss their next steps after claiming the city council is "dragging their feet."
The city's licensing committee renewed Iqbal Akhtar's licence after twice postponing a decision to await an update on the criminal proceedings.
The accreditation gives officers additional tools to help tackle anti-social behaviour, manage traffic incidents, and work more closely with police.
The Glasgow City Licensing Committee has approved a 3.32% increase to taxi fares after an independent review concluded that the "costs of operating a tax in Glasgow...have increased."