Sussex has a larger proportion of people with some ambulant disability than any other county. Worthing is the largest town in West Sussex, and has the highest proportion of people with an ambulant disability in the County. Worthing Borough Council has over the last few years attempted to encourage the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire industries to provide more Wheelchair Accessible vehicles.

Since 2004 all additional new hackney carriage plates have only been issued to wheelchair accessible vehicles. 

In March 2007 the council decided that all currently licensed Hackney Carriage saloon or estate cars would have to convert to a wheelchair accessible vehicle when the saloon or estate was replaced. This requirement took effect on 1st October 2007. However, in June 2009 this policy was suspended pending a review of the council's policy that is planned to take place when the Department for Transport's best practice guidance is issued.  This is expected late in 2009 or early 2010.

Wheelchair Accessible Hackney Carriages & Private Hire Vehicles available in the borough. 

Below is a list of the currently licensed vehicles that are wheelchair accessible with their contact telephone numbers.  It is hoped that in the future, this list will be linked to the database of licensed vehicles so that the website can be updated in real time, but in the meantime we have to comb the database manually at intervals to produce an updated list, and then transfer that to this site. You will appreciate that with several hundred vehicles in the database, changing constantly, this is quite time consuming.

Please check back frequently for the latest available list.  What is published here will always be the latest information, although there is inevitably a delay when a new vehicle is licensed, or a Private Hire Driver changes operators.

If you drive a wheelchair accessible taxi or private hire vehicle and your details have changed or are not on the list below, and you would like them to be published here, please email tony.armstrong@worthing.gov.uk, to have the matter rectified.

Latest News (15th September 2009).

The list of accessible licensed vehicles has been updated.  If you need a taxi, (hackney carriage), please call the number issued by Worthing Taxi Association first, before trying individuals if you are unsuccessful.  Of course, if you want a particular taxi driver, you can call him direct, if his number is shown or if he has given you his number.  Private Hire vehicles should always be booked through their Private Hire Operator, but you can ask the Private Hire Operator if a particular driver is available.

Consultation on Improving Access to Taxis

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• Consultation on Improving Access to Taxis

May 2009

The Department for Transport issued its long awaited consultation document on Disabled access for taxis a few weeks ago. The policies adopted by the government as a result of this consultation will have far reaching concequences to the transport system, the industry, the public and Worthing Borough Council's Licensing Policies. 

Consultation closed on 24 April 2009 but if you would like to access to the full consultation document please click below.

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