Posted on the 17th November 2025 in PHTM News

SWINDON TAXI RANK "UNSAFE AND INACCESSIBLE" FOR DISABLED PASSENGERS DRIVERS CLAIM

A new taxi rank in Swindon, opened alongside the new bus boulevard on Flemming Way, has been deemed "unsafe and inaccessible" by hackney carriage drivers who claim the design breaches the Equality Act and is putting both drivers and passengers at risk.

Driver Andy Lucas, who uses the Beales Close rank, stated that they were “promised a fully accessible rank that met the provisions of the Equality Act for the Carriage of Disabled People,” but the design makes it difficult to load wheelchairs.

A metal structure near the first taxi's door obstructs the wheelchair ramp, forcing drivers into potentially illegal manoeuvres.

Mr. Lucas explained the dilemma: “If the front car is correctly parked, right up to the line, you can’t actually drop the wheelchair ramp, so effectively, you’ve got to park up to and over the line with the wheels to be able to get the wheelchair in.

"You cannot do this job now, without actually breaking the law in some way. You’ve either got to refuse a wheelchair, which then potentially could come under discrimination, or you push the car forward and then you are in danger of it being illegally parked on a double yellow line.”

Fellow driver John Stocker highlighted that the lack of space next to a bus shelter means: “You cannot walk down the side with a case [or a wheelchair] to get into a taxi.” 

He also noted the “no dropped curb until the very end of the taxi rank," forcing passengers to potentially walk into the road to load vehicles.

“People have to run up the road, with possibly bikes and cars, to get a wheelchair into the back of one of the rear-loading vehicles," Mr Stocker added.

In addition to the accessibility issues, drivers feel the rank is poorly signposted, with Mr. Lucas stating: “We are stuck behind a couple of bus shelters, and nobody can see where we are.” 

Mr. Stocker concluded that the issues have significantly harmed their trade, saying: “It’s hard enough, life as a taxi driver. At the end of the day, they’ve lost us a rank.”

Swindon Borough Council stated that the original designs were consulted upon before the project began, and “the taxi companies did not take the opportunity to comment.”

A spokesperson for the council said: “We have been working closely with the Taxi Forum to address their concerns and met with them recently. This includes adding additional signs and wayfinding to show the taxi rank.

"The Council works with taxi drivers through the Taxi Forum, if any driver has any concerns, they should raise them through this channel.”


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