Wheelchair-accessible taxis/private hire vehicles and assistance dogs

Passengers in wheelchairs

We license a number of vehicles that are designed or adapted to safely carry passengers in wheelchairs. These vehicles include features such as ramps or lifts, restraint points for securely holding a wheelchair in place, and seatbelts for passengers in wheelchairs. All of our licensed accessible vehicles have either been built and tested in accordance with a manufacturer's specification, approved by the UK Department for Transport or an EU member state, or have been tested by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA).

You can find a list of designated licensed taxis and private hire vehicles below. We can help connect you with the owners - please call Licensing on 01442 228000 or email licensing@dacorum.gov.uk.

We regularly update this list. Please check this page for the latest version.

 Wheelchair accessible taxis (PDF 268KB)

It is a criminal offence for the driver of a designated taxi to refuse to carry a passenger in a wheelchair, or assist them in entering or exiting the taxi and loading any luggage they may have. Complaints about drivers failing to carry out these duties can be reported via our taxi complaints page.

Some drivers may hold exemption certificates. These exempt them from the legal duties due to a medical or physical condition. Any such drivers must display an official notice, issued by us, advising of this.

Passengers with assistance dogs

Every licensed taxi and private hire vehicle is required to carry assistance dogs with their owner, and it is a criminal offence for a driver to refuse to do so. It is also an offence for a private hire operator to refuse to take a booking because it involves carrying an assistance dog, or for drivers or operators to charge a higher fare for carrying an assistance dog.

This duty applies to assistance dogs trained by charities affiliated to Assistance Dogs UK, or other similar UK or overseas organisations. It also applies to dogs that have been trained by their owners to carry out this role.

Complaints about drivers or operators refusing to carry assistance dogs can be reported via our taxi complaints page.

Some taxi drivers may hold exemption certificates. These exempt them from the legal duties due to a medical condition. Any such drivers must display an official notice, issued by us, advising of this.

Medical exemptions for taxi drivers

Drivers with medical conditions, which mean that they cannot safely carry out the legal duties relating to passengers in wheelchairs or passengers with assistance dogs, can apply for an exemption certificate. To apply, please complete the form below with details of your medical condition, and submit it to the Licensing department. You will also need to provide supporting evidence from doctors treating you for the condition. The policy below gives further information on how we will process exemption applications.

•  Driver Medical Exemption application form (PDF 240KB)

Further information for taxi drivers

The  Taxi and private hire licensing policy (PDF 1.4MB) sets out details about our expectations of how drivers will treat passengers in wheelchairs, and passengers with assistance dogs.