Taxi drivers are set to begin talks with Kirklees Council to discuss moves to make all cabs accessible to disabled passengers.

Representatives from both private hire and hackney carriage associations are to meet council officers to decide how to implement the Government's Disability Discrimination Act which demands that all public transport and taxis can carry disabled people and wheelchairs.

So far 50 hackney carriage cabs have been fitted with ramps to allow full wheelchair access.

But under the plans the area's other 200 hackney carriages and 650 private hire cabs would need to be converted. And some private hire firms are opposed to the scheme.

The converted cabs already in use include London-style taxis and multi-purpose vehicles such as a Volkswagen Caravelle.

Under council proposals all hackney carriage vehicles would be made wheelchair accessible. And private hire cars would be fitted with a swivelling seat which would cost around £650.

A spokesman for the council's taxi licensing department said the authority wished to bring in the scheme after consultation with taxi firms rather than simply demand the improvements.

He said: "The Government Act demands that all types of public transport can carry wheelchairs and disabled people and taxis are no exception to that.

"We already run a taxi voucher scheme with the vehicles which take wheelchairs and it's made a real difference to disabled people's lives.

"Public transport can be difficult and taxis can provide a lifeline to disabled travellers."

The taxi voucher scheme offers £90 of travel for £30 to disabled people and travellers with mobility problems in Huddersfield.

Kirklees is looking to extend the scheme to the Dewsbury area.

Safdir Hussain, manager of Cleckheaton Taxis which has 18 private hire cars, welcomed the moves to improve access for disabled people.

He said: "You have got to give a service to every kind of customer.

"We don't have any converted cars and at the moment we pass people on to other firms which can carry wheelchairs."

Private hire drivers will oppose the disabled access scheme according to Mohammed Ashraf, chairman of the North Kirklees Private Hire Association.

He said: "Private hire drivers don't want this and we might even be forced to go out on strike. Our members are self-employed and the cost of fitting a special seat is too expensive.

"We don't get many calls from disabled people so £650 is a big outlay."

Mr Ashraf said Kirklees Council was wrong to demand private hire drivers made provision to carry disabled passengers - because unlike hackney carriage drivers they were not duty bound to take a fare."

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