Derby cabs yellow to black change criticised

Taxis in Derby were made yellow in 2001 to make them easier to see

A disability charity has criticised a council's plans to change the colour of its taxis back to black after being yellow for nearly 20 years.

Derby City Council says it is making the change to save drivers money on painting and maintaining their cars.

Disability Direct said the changes were a "backwards step" as visually impaired people cannot see the black cabs.

The authority claimed it has "given much consideration" to the views of disabled and visually impaired people.

The new colour scheme for Hackney carriages, with a diagonal yellow stripe down the side, was approved at the taxi licensing committee meeting on Thursday.

The policy will come into immediate effect for newly-licensed vehicles, while yellow cabs will have until 2025 to make the change.

Dean Ormond, who is visually impaired, said: "I will always order a yellow Hackney because I can see the colour."

He said if a black 4x4 pulled up, he might mistake it for a taxi and get in, potentially putting him in danger.

Mick Barker, from Derby City Council, called the new design striking

Amo Raju, CEO of Disability Direct, said: "About five or six years ago, Derby was recognised as one of the most accessible cities in Europe for disabled people.

"One of the factors involved in reaching that decision was the yellow taxis in the city."

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Mick Barker, from Derby City Council, said: "The new design is very striking and will retain the unique 'Derby yellow'.

"We have given much consideration to the views of the disabled and visually impaired, and balanced that with the practicalities and cost having new vehicles resprayed yellow."

Thursday's meeting discussed the full Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Strategy, which was approved apart from alterations to dates when two of the new rules will be enforced.