Hackney carriage drivers in Daventry staged a strike on September 11, protesting a West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) licensing policy that they claim could "destroy the trade."
The drivers gathered outside the town’s Taxi Licensing Office opposing a rule that will require all Daventry taxis to be wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs) by January 1, 2026.
Sopiya Thanikasalam, a representative for the Daventry Taxi Drivers' Union, highlighted the financial hardship and distress the policy would cause, stating: “What about the drivers who’ve been working 20, 30 years here? How are we supposed to afford to buy a wheelchair accessible vehicle? We’d be forced to find another job.”
Drivers are demanding that the council reconsider the policy, which offers no "grandfather rights" which would allow an exemption for those who already have a licensed car from having to purchase a WAV until their next replacement.
Thanikasalam called for a transition that is "realistic, fair, and supportive," adding: "People are waiting to know what’s going to happen with their life."
The union also questioned the data behind the decision, asking: “What’s the research showing the number of people who need wheelchair accessible vehicles in the county to need to change every single taxi?”
The council asserts that the taxi policy introduced in April 2024 was developed after extensive consultation in 2022 with drivers, key stakeholders and the public. There was a 12-week public consultation on the policy in 2023 before its approval in October that year.
A WNC spokesperson said they "actively engage with taxi drivers" and will be "setting up a meeting in due course to discuss further any concerns and queries raised."
The strike concluded around 11:30am after drivers were informed that a meeting with the council would be held in October
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