Posted on the 12th August 2026 in PHTM News

DISABLED PASSENGERS FACE TAXI DISCRIMINATION AND PLUMMETING WAV NUMBERS IN CARDIFF

Disabled people in Cardiff are facing severe barriers to taxi travel, with wheelchair users reporting being refused rides and struggling to find accessible cabs.

Prominent figures, including Britain's Got Talent winner Lee Ridley and disability campaigner Kat Watkins, have spoken out after experiencing discrimination and service failures in the Welsh capital, where the number of wheelchair-accessible hackney carriages has plummeted from 475 in 2010 to just 168 today.

Kat Watkins, an electric wheelchair user, was turned away by a local taxi driver who falsely claimed her chair would break his ramp, forcing her to complete a two-mile journey in the pouring rain.

Reflecting on the recurring humiliation, she shared: "As an electric wheelchair, I try to be professional, but it's just made me feel like I can't be a professional because I'm always going to turn up dishevelled. I'm never going to get from A to B 100%... It just left me feeling so terrible this time that I actually couldn't talk about it for a few days because it upset me so much."

Comedian Lee Ridley, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, faced similar hurdles whilst trying to catch a train after a show in the city.

Lee said: "I needed to get to the station to catch my train, and I actually started trying to book an accessible taxi more than 24 hours in advance. Despite ringing five different taxi companies, not one of them could help. Thankfully I managed to find one, but getting home shouldn't depend on pot luck."

Ridley added that some drivers are simply reluctant to deal with the hassle of ramps and securing chairs, concluding: "I think it should be a legal requirement that all new taxis are wheelchair accessible, if we are serious about equality, we need to stop putting inaccessible vehicles on the road."

In response, Cardiff Council said: "Refusing to carry a disabled passenger, failing to provide reasonable assistance, or charging a disabled passenger more are criminal offences, not matters of the driver’s discretion. 

"The number of private hire vehicles licensed by Cardiff has grown to more than 1,600, and private hire is the sector where councils have very limited powers to require wheelchair accessibility. 

"Private hire vehicles licensed anywhere in England or Wales can also lawfully work in Cardiff, highlighting the need for this issue to be addressed at a national level, as individual authorities are limited in what they can achieve on their own.

"These are concerns we have raised with Welsh Government through consultations on taxi and private hire licensing reform."

The Welsh Government says it is researching transport barriers and has issued guidance to councils.

 


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