Item 7 Appendix 4 - EIA 1403 WAV Policy Exception Request
West Dunbartonshire Council · 18 February 2026
Back to Licensing Committee — 18 February 2026 and its agenda
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Assessment No 1403 Owner lknighton Resource Transformation Service Regulatory FirstName Surname Job Title Head Officer Robert Mackie Senior Officer Licensing Services Members Robert Mackie Lawrence Knighton (Please note: the word 'policy' is used as shorthand for strategy policy function or financial decision) Policy Title Taxi/Private Hire Car Operator Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle Policy (Dumbarton Zone) The aim, objective, purpose and intended out come of policy To allow Elected Members the choice on whether or not to allow a taxi operator to use a vehicle with a carrying capacity of 7 passengers which is not wheelchair accessible, contrary to the policy for the Dumbarton & Vale of Leven zone which states that any vehicle which carry's 5 or more passengers must be a wheelchair accessible vehicle. The taxi operator has made an application to vary their taxi licence and has cited the reason for the request that where there are 5 passengers looking to hire a taxi, when there are no WAV vehicles with the larger licensed capacity available, they need to use 2 separate vehicles at an increased cost to the customer. Service/Partners/Stakeholders/service users involved in the development and/or implementation of policy. Licensing Team Does the proposals involve the procurement of any goods or services? No If yes please confirm that you have contacted our procurement services to discuss your requirements. No SCREENING You must indicate if there is any relevance to the four areas Duty to eliminate discrimination (E), advance equal opportunities (A) or foster good relations (F) Yes Relevance to Human Rights (HR) No Relevance to Health Impacts (H) No Relevance to Social Economic Impacts (SE) No Who will be affected by this policy? Some benefit is claimed by the applicant that customers, if in a larger party, would benefit from travelling in one vehicle rather than two. This however may be at the detriment of wheelchair users who may experience a lowering in availabilty of WAV vehicles in the near future. If the proposal was accepted, with no benefit offered to anyone with protected characteristics, the current policy could no longer be applied. If the request to operate a 7 seater vehicle was allowed, without their being a requirement to utilise a Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV), this would have a detrimental effect on the availability of WAV's as operators would likely choose to have a vehicle with a higher passenger capacity without it being a WAV due to the reduced cost of obtaining these vehicles. ITEM 7 APPENDIX 4
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From the applicants point of view, they are requesting this in order that there is a greater availability of vehicles for larger groups of passengers (5 or more) who would not purely have to wait on one of the existing vehicles (WAV) to accommodate their group size. Who will be/has been involved in the consultation process? Officer knowledge for this request however the policy in question when introduced was consulted widely with the Taxi Trade, the Equality Forum, and wheelchair users who were supportive of it's introduction.
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Please outline any particular need/barriers which equality groups may have in relation to this policy list evidence you are using to support this and whether there is any negative impact on particular groups. Specific group to consider Needs Evidence Impact Age Disability can increase with age. Multiple sources support this assertion. Lowering of availability of suitable vehicles Disability Wheelchair users are very dependent on public transport and particularly WAV vehicles. Multiple sources support this assertion. Local/National research carried out prior to Policy implementation. Lowering of availability of suitable vehicles if exception is made to the policy. Gender Reassign Marriage & Civil Partnership Pregnancy & Maternity Race Religion and Belief Sex Sexual Orientation Human Rights Health Social & Economic Impact Cross Cutting
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Actions
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Policy has a negative impact on an equality group,but is still to be implemented, please provide justification for this. Will the impact of the policy be monitored and reported on an ongoing bases? The level of taxi operators offering a WAV vehicle is monitored and the reason for any notable change in numbers would be investigated. Q7 What is you recommendation for this policy? Don't Introduce Please provide a meaningful summary of how you have reached the recommendation EIA 1403: Allowing an exception to the policy on economic grounds would set a precedent that may result in a lowering of WAV vehicle availability to the detriment of customers with protected characteristics for example disabled people- particularly wheelchair users.
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