Taxi drivers strike over wheelchair rules

Taxi drivers in Daventry went on strike over new rules set for January 2026 that will require all cabs to be wheelchair accessible

Taxi drivers have staged a strike in protest at new licensing rules which they say threaten their livelihoods.

Drivers gathered outside the taxi licensing office at the Abbey Centre in Daventry after West Northamptonshire Council introduced a policy requiring all vehicles to be wheelchair accessible (WAVs) from the start of 2026.

Non-WAVs will continue to be licensed until the end of December.

Sopiya Thanikasalam, who represents 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."

Drivers say West Northamptonshire Council has offered no consideration about the financial implications of the new vehicles

The council's Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Policy requires all hackney carriage cabs to be WAVs from 1 January, with no exemptions for existing licensed vehicles.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, West Northamptonshire Council said it consulted the trade in 2022 and carried out a 12-week consultation in 2023 before the policy was approved in October that year.

Ms Thanikasalam said the transition should be introduced in a way that is "realistic, fair, and supportive of those whose livelihoods are directly affected".

She added: "People are waiting to know what's going to happen with their life.

"Our problem is, what's the research showing the number of people who need wheelchair accessible vehicles in the county [means changing] every single taxi?

"We want an answer, we want to know what made them make this decision."

A meeting between the union and council is set to take place in October.

West Northamptonshire Council has been contacted for comment.