A ‘DEPRESSING’ lack of wheelchair-accessible taxis and private hire cars in a North East town needs to be addressed urgently, disability campaigners have said.

Department for Transport figures show that 228 vehicles were licensed to operate in Darlington at the end of March 2021 but just 11 (five per cent) could be used by those in wheelchairs.

Read more: 'Batman' movie being filmed in Darlington - but not the one you think

Of the 147 traditional taxis that can be hailed from the street, only seven were wheelchair-accessible.

Nicola Wright, a wheelchair user from Darlington, said: “It just makes life more difficult than it needs to be.

“After the last 18 months or so with the pandemic, it would be nice to be able to go to the pub or easily go into town but it’s just too much hassle getting a car and it’s really isolating to be honest.

"It's ridiculous that in this day and age people in wheelchairs are still living like this. The Government needs to do something about it."

The Northern Echo: Nicola Wright said: "It just makes life more difficult than it needs to be."Nicola Wright said: "It just makes life more difficult than it needs to be."

Read more: We ask Darlington people if they will still follow Covid rules after Downing Street party

Gordon Pybus, Chairman of Darlington Association on Disability said: “Unless you make every vehicle wheelchair-accessible then the drivers of the accessible vehicles will not earn the same kind of money as someone driving a saloon car, so there’s not the same incentive for them to do it.

“You can’t blame the drivers for that, they’re just trying to make a living but what are people like me supposed to do if we need to get somewhere that isn’t accessible via public transport?”

Mr Pybus was keen to draw the distinction between a taxi, or a hackney carriage, which can be hailed from the street and a private hire vehicle, or a mini cab, which must be booked.

Read more: 'Not a huge impact': North East venues react to emergency Omicron rules

All traditional taxis are wheelchair-accessible in London and some other parts of the country, but other areas have none at all.

Ms Wright said: “It’s really depressing and it’s not just disabled people who use wheelchairs, it’s the elderly too. I can’t make plans because I don’t know if I’ll be able to get an accessible car.

“It seems that there aren’t enough drivers of accessible cars.”

Mr Pybus added: “There’s a big emphasis on getting disabled people into the workforce but the priority should be reliable, accessible transport.

“Until the Government makes sure all private hire cars and taxis are wheelchair-accessible, we’ll keep having this same problem.”

Read more: Knitted post boxes prompt widespread mystery on who could be behind displays in Darlington

Cllr Jonathan Dulston, deputy leader of Darlington Borough Council, said: “The lack of wheelchair accessible taxis (WAVs) is an issue we have been trying to address for some time.

“There are currently ten WAVs licensed in Darlington, six hackney carriages and four private hire.

“We cannot force businesses to purchase WAVs, even though we recognise there is a shortage – our advice to tackle the shortage of taxis would be to book taxis well in advance.”

Read more: Dramatic scenes as work begins on Platform 1 pub in Darlington village

Tom Marsland, policy manager for consumer affairs at Scope, said: “Scope’s Travel Fair campaign revealed that four fifths of disabled people feel anxiety or stress when they are planning or carrying out a journey on public transport. The pandemic has only made matters worse, with anxieties further increased as Plan B is implemented.

“This leaves many disabled people reliant on taxis and private hire vehicles. When these aren’t accessible, disabled people are robbed of their independence. It might mean disabled people can’t get to work, see their friends and family or even get to a medical appointment. Private hire vehicles are regulated by local authorities, which are responsible for enforcing regulations. Consistent regulation across all transport authorities would improve disabled people’s trust in the system.”

Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

You can also follow our dedicated Darlington Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.

For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054