The requirement for all new taxis to be wheelchair-accessible has been dropped by West Suffolk Council.

The council’s cabinet has agreed to a proposal removing all wheelchair accessibility requirements from hackney carriages, overturning a stipulation that all applications for new carriages must be for wheelchair-accessible vehicles (WAVs).

The cabinet also accepted proposals to merge existing taxi zones for the former district areas, and to change the 10-year age limit on all taxis to 15 years. The 10-year limit was due to start in 2025.

Councillor Andy Drummond, cabinet member for regulatory and environment, which includes taxi licensing, said: “We have listened to both the taxi trade and its customers, including people who identified as having a disability or mobility issues.

“Our previous policy required all new or replacement vehicles to be WAVs. But an independent survey found that wheelchair-accessible vehicles weren’t suitable for the needs of all disabled people and that a balanced fleet was required.

“A policy due to come in in 2025 meant that all vehicles would need to be replaced when they reached 10 years old.

“Analysis of the age of the fleet suggests that a very large proportion of licensees would need to replace their vehicles to adhere to this policy – including one-third of WAV drivers.

“This may have resulted in a reduced fleet size and could have caused unmet demand.

“While the council is committed to achieving a greener and more accessible fleet, it is recognised that the charging infrastructure needs to be improved to support this, as does the availability of electric WAVs.

“Increasing the maximum age of vehicles to 15 years will remove those taxis emitting the highest carbon emissions from the roads in 2025, while allowing more time for advancements in electric vehicle charging technology, infrastructure, and vehicle options to be explored."

A survey of 155 people in West Suffolk with disabilities and other needs impacting taxi use found that 43% of hackney carriage and 49% of private hire users felt there were enough or more than enough WAVs, while 32% of hackney carriage and 28% of private hire users felt there were too few.

Jason Crooks, a Haverhill taxi driver, said: “West Suffolk Council have gone from one extreme to another.

“The first extreme was that every taxi had to be a WAV, and the new extreme is that there’s no policy in place to keep some WAVs.

“Obviously 100% is no good at all because it is not sustainable, but we have got to have some WAV provision written in the rules.

“Saloon taxis without wheelchair accessibility are so much cheaper than WAVs, so drivers will replace with them.

“Within two months of this policy even, I’m certain you will see the numbers of saloon taxis rise and WAVs fall."