Name: Wheelchair-accessible taxis by licensing authority, England and Wales (April 2026)
Creator: Look Into
Published: 2026-11-03
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Published 3 November 2026. Analysis by Jacob Whitmore, Look Into Research, from Department for Transport licensing data at 1 April 2026 and Census 2021. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a credit and link. No affiliate links or quote forms on this page.

The short answer. 18 of the 290 taxi licensing areas in England and Wales had no wheelchair-accessible taxi on 1 April 2026. 306,415 disabled people live in those areas. In 7 of them there was no wheelchair-accessible vehicle of any kind, taxi or private hire. Across all 290 areas, the typical council licensed 0.62 wheelchair-accessible taxis for every 1,000 disabled residents, and the number of accessible vehicles in England fell 4.3% in two years.

licensing areas with no wheelchair-accessible taxi, 1 April 2026

306,415

disabled residents living in those 18 areas (Census 2021)

178 of 290

areas with fewer than 1 accessible taxi per 1,000 disabled residents

-4.3%

change in wheelchair-accessible taxis and private hire vehicles in England, 2024 to 2026

Prices and specs last checked by Look Into on 3 November 2026 · how we picked

What the licensing data shows

18 areas have no accessible taxi at all. Bolsover, Derbyshire Dales, North East Derbyshire, South Derbyshire, Gedling, Rutland, Blaby, Broadland, East Cambridgeshire, Epping Forest, Elmbridge, Runnymede, Tandridge, Tewkesbury, East Devon, Mid Devon, West Devon and Monmouthshire licensed no wheelchair-accessible taxi at 1 April 2026. Four of them (North East Derbyshire, South Derbyshire, Broadland and Tewkesbury) licensed no taxis of any kind, only private hire vehicles.
In 7 areas there is no accessible vehicle of any kind. Derbyshire Dales, North East Derbyshire, Rutland, Blaby, Epping Forest, Elmbridge and West Devon had no wheelchair-accessible taxi and no wheelchair-accessible private hire vehicle. 105,226 disabled people live in those seven areas. The Department for Transport reports the count of seven but does not name them.
Most areas have less than one accessible taxi per 1,000 disabled residents. 178 of 290 areas fall below that level, and together they are home to 4,892,465 disabled people. Across England and Wales as a whole the rate is 2.75, pulled up by London, Liverpool and Manchester, where almost every taxi is accessible.
The supply is concentrated in big cities. London (13,713), Liverpool (1,316), Manchester (1,068), Birmingham (574) and Sheffield (441) hold 17,112 of the 28,686 wheelchair-accessible taxis in England and Wales, 60% of the total. Those five areas are home to 16% of disabled residents.
The number is falling. England had 36,025 wheelchair-accessible taxis and private hire vehicles in 2024 and 34,468 in 2026, down 4.3%. Of the areas where both years can be compared, 155 lost accessible vehicles, 102 gained and 29 were unchanged.

The 18 areas with no wheelchair-accessible taxi

Sorted by the number of disabled residents. "Accessible private hire" counts pre-booked vehicles licensed in the area; a private hire vehicle can be licensed in one area and work in another.

Licensing area	Region	Taxis licensed	Accessible private hire vehicles	Disabled residents
East Devon	South West	127	7	29,412
Broadland	East of England	0	54	24,417
Gedling	East Midlands	448	15	22,062
North East Derbyshire	East Midlands	0	0	21,748
Epping Forest	East of England	203	0	19,012
South Derbyshire	East Midlands	0	3	18,412
Bolsover	East Midlands	1	8	18,343
Monmouthshire	Wales	72	19	17,979
Elmbridge	South East	82	0	16,565
Blaby	East Midlands	42	0	16,305
Mid Devon	South West	58	9	15,326
Tewkesbury	South West	0	62	15,172
East Cambridgeshire	East of England	90	276	14,166
Derbyshire Dales	East Midlands	49	0	13,177
Tandridge	South East	87	7	13,058
Runnymede	South East	37	3	12,842
West Devon	South West	85	0	11,896
Rutland	East Midlands	25	0	6,523

The next 15 lowest, per 1,000 disabled residents

Licensing area	Region	Accessible taxis	All taxis	Disabled residents	Accessible taxis per 1,000 disabled residents
Torbay	South West	1	189	33,225	0.03
Redcar and Cleveland	North East	1	50	30,483	0.03
Vale of Glamorgan	Wales	1	92	26,289	0.04
South Kesteven	East Midlands	1	242	25,627	0.04
East Suffolk	East of England	2	48	50,749	0.04
South Norfolk	East of England	1	28	25,142	0.04
South Cambridgeshire	East of England	1	1	23,896	0.04
Broxtowe	East Midlands	1	102	20,976	0.05
Fenland	East of England	1	63	20,836	0.05
South Staffordshire	West Midlands	1	1	20,606	0.05
East Hertfordshire	East of England	1	170	20,462	0.05
North Devon	South West	1	148	19,295	0.05
Fareham	South East	1	104	19,252	0.05
Lichfield	West Midlands	1	88	18,944	0.05
Staffordshire Moorlands	West Midlands	1	40	18,823	0.05

The 10 highest

Licensing area	Region	Accessible taxis	Disabled residents	Accessible taxis per 1,000 disabled residents
Ashfield	East Midlands	395	27,809	14.20
Liverpool	North West	1,316	105,962	12.42
London (TfL)	London	13,713	1,164,456	11.78
Manchester	North West	1,068	96,737	11.04
Reading	South East	243	24,095	10.09
Worcester	West Midlands	180	18,195	9.89
Coventry	West Midlands	397	57,225	6.94
Nuneaton and Bedworth	West Midlands	163	25,694	6.34
Preston	North West	156	26,838	5.81
Knowsley	North West	198	34,990	5.66

Why this counts taxis, not private hire

A taxi (a hackney carriage) can be hailed in the street or taken from a rank, and it must be licensed by the council for the area where it plies for hire. That makes the taxi count a fair measure of what is available locally. A private hire vehicle has to be booked in advance, and it can be licensed by one council and work almost anywhere. Wolverhampton licensed 38,083 vehicles in 2026, far more than its own residents use, because many drivers working elsewhere license there. Ranking on private hire would reward those licensing hubs, so the main measure here is wheelchair-accessible taxis per 1,000 disabled residents. Both counts are in the full table and the download.

What the law says if you use a wheelchair

Under section 167 of the Equality Act 2010, licensing authorities must keep and publish a list of designated wheelchair-accessible taxis and private hire vehicles. The Department for Transport says 98% of authorities kept a taxi list in 2026. A driver of a designated vehicle must carry a wheelchair user, give reasonable help, and must not charge extra for doing so (section 165). The Department for Transport's statutory guidance sets this out. There is no legal minimum share of accessible vehicles a council must license. If your area has none, its list will be empty, and the nearest options may be accessible private hire vehicles, which are booked in advance, or vehicles licensed in a neighbouring area.

If you hold a Blue Badge, our UK Blue Badge Report covers parking. For the other costs of getting around, see the Mobility hub.

All 290 licensing areas

Ranked from fewest accessible taxis per 1,000 disabled residents. "All accessible" is taxis plus private hire vehicles. "Change since 2024" is all accessible vehicles, 2026 minus 2024; n/a where the 2024 figure was suppressed or the area was not listed the same way.

Show the full table

Rank	Licensing area	Region	Accessible taxis	All taxis	Per 1,000 disabled residents	All accessible	Change since 2024
1	Bolsover	East Midlands	0	1	0.00	8	0
2	Derbyshire Dales	East Midlands	0	49	0.00	0	0
3	North East Derbyshire	East Midlands	0	0	0.00	0	0
4	South Derbyshire	East Midlands	0	0	0.00	3	0
5	Gedling	East Midlands	0	448	0.00	15	-12
6	Rutland	East Midlands	0	25	0.00	0	0
7	Blaby	East Midlands	0	42	0.00	0	-1
8	Broadland	East of England	0	0	0.00	54	n/a
9	East Cambridgeshire	East of England	0	90	0.00	276	+269
10	Epping Forest	East of England	0	203	0.00	0	0
11	Elmbridge	South East	0	82	0.00	0	-3
12	Runnymede	South East	0	37	0.00	3	0
13	Tandridge	South East	0	87	0.00	7	+4
14	Tewkesbury	South West	0	0	0.00	62	-5
15	East Devon	South West	0	127	0.00	7	-1
16	Mid Devon	South West	0	58	0.00	9	-8
17	West Devon	South West	0	85	0.00	0	0
18	Monmouthshire	Wales	0	72	0.00	19	-3
19	Torbay	South West	1	189	0.03	17	0
20	Redcar and Cleveland	North East	1	50	0.03	10	-7
21	Vale of Glamorgan	Wales	1	92	0.04	8	-2
22	South Kesteven	East Midlands	1	242	0.04	3	0
23	East Suffolk	East of England	2	48	0.04	27	-4
24	South Norfolk	East of England	1	28	0.04	13	-2
25	South Cambridgeshire	East of England	1	1	0.04	19	+7
26	Broxtowe	East Midlands	1	102	0.05	1	0
27	Fenland	East of England	1	63	0.05	2	-1
28	South Staffordshire	West Midlands	1	1	0.05	2	-7
29	East Hertfordshire	East of England	1	170	0.05	1	-3
30	North Devon	South West	1	148	0.05	6	-3
31	Fareham	South East	1	104	0.05	3	-2
32	Lichfield	West Midlands	1	88	0.05	1	-1
33	Staffordshire Moorlands	West Midlands	1	40	0.05	3	-10
34	Waverley	South East	1	170	0.05	6	0
35	Malvern Hills	West Midlands	1	23	0.07	14	-4
36	Hertsmere	East of England	1	1	0.07	4	+1
37	Spelthorne	South East	1	46	0.07	10	-1
38	Isle of Anglesey	Wales	1	74	0.07	1	-1
39	Merthyr Tydfil	Wales	1	151	0.07	6	-2
40	Cotswold	South West	1	45	0.07	1	-4
41	Teignbridge	South West	2	273	0.07	4	+2
42	Hart	South East	1	121	0.08	1	-3
43	Wyre	North West	2	156	0.08	7	-11
44	Uttlesford	East of England	1	48	0.08	267	-116
45	Tendring	East of England	3	195	0.08	5	+2
46	Wychavon	West Midlands	2	50	0.09	66	-2
47	North Lincolnshire	Yorkshire and The Humber	3	133	0.09	77	-3
48	Horsham	South East	2	46	0.09	3	-3
49	Barnsley	Yorkshire and The Humber	5	67	0.09	13	n/a
50	Hartlepool	North East	2	87	0.09	4	0
51	North Somerset	South West	4	74	0.10	31	+1
52	Charnwood	East Midlands	3	133	0.10	11	+1
53	Hinckley and Bosworth	East Midlands	2	81	0.10	3	-1
54	West Lindsey	East Midlands	2	63	0.10	3	-1
55	Rotherham	Yorkshire and The Humber	6	55	0.11	18	+6
56	Eden	North West	1	57	0.11	2	+2
57	North West Leicestershire	East Midlands	2	110	0.11	7	-3
58	Powys	Wales	3	87	0.11	24	+4
59	Arun	South East	4	201	0.12	8	+5
60	Castle Point	East of England	2	90	0.13	3	0
61	Flintshire	Wales	4	4	0.14	30	0
62	North Kesteven	East Midlands	3	38	0.14	54	+13
63	Harborough	East Midlands	2	73	0.14	2	-1
64	Barrow-in-Furness	North West	2	191	0.14	28	+15
65	East Riding of Yorkshire	Yorkshire and The Humber	9	81	0.14	10	-5
66	Rossendale	North West	2	151	0.14	2	0
67	Rhondda Cynon Taf	Wales	8	302	0.14	18	-3
68	Breckland	East of England	4	122	0.14	15	+9
69	Stroud	South West	3	89	0.15	5	-5
70	Lewes	South East	3	77	0.15	49	+29
71	East Hampshire	South East	3	93	0.15	5	-4
72	Thanet	South East	5	88	0.16	13	-23
73	Adur	South East	2	23	0.16	2	-1
74	Havant	South East	4	33	0.16	4	+2
75	Gloucester	South West	4	68	0.17	15	+9
76	Forest of Dean	South West	3	6	0.18	16	+3
77	Wealden	South East	5	86	0.18	7	+2
78	Wiltshire	South West	19	438	0.22	104	-9
79	Erewash	East Midlands	5	118	0.23	5	-3
80	Eastleigh	South East	5	98	0.23	145	+20
81	Three Rivers	East of England	3	4	0.24	16	+6
82	South Hams	South West	4	95	0.24	4	-5
83	Bromsgrove	West Midlands	4	74	0.24	4	-1
84	Dover	South East	6	74	0.24	13	0
85	Surrey Heath	South East	3	76	0.24	7	-4
86	Oldham	North West	11	82	0.25	54	+19
87	Torridge	South West	4	49	0.28	4	+2
88	Broxbourne	East of England	4	171	0.28	14	-19
89	Worthing	South East	6	49	0.28	8	-2
90	Mid Suffolk	East of England	5	84	0.29	6	+2
91	Mendip	South West	6	141	0.29	12	-5
92	Pendle	North West	5	60	0.30	43	+5
93	North Norfolk	East of England	7	102	0.30	12	-4
94	Newcastle-under-Lyme	West Midlands	8	95	0.31	20	-5
95	Denbighshire	Wales	7	214	0.31	19	-2
96	Bath and North East Somerset	South West	10	125	0.31	15	-3
97	Newark and Sherwood	East Midlands	8	79	0.33	9	-1
98	Darlington	North East	7	122	0.33	12	0
99	County Durham	North East	40	512	0.33	118	+1
100	Melton	East Midlands	3	28	0.34	8	+6
101	Tonbridge and Malling	South East	7	165	0.35	25	-2
102	Stockton-on-Tees	North East	14	223	0.36	19	+3
103	Eastbourne	South East	8	88	0.36	30	+9
104	Wakefield	Yorkshire and The Humber	26	102	0.37	62	+15
105	Rushcliffe	East Midlands	7	8	0.37	189	+62
106	North Hertfordshire	East of England	8	162	0.38	21	+1
107	South Oxfordshire	South East	8	362	0.38	12	-11
108	Sevenoaks	South East	7	127	0.39	19	+6
109	Hastings	South East	8	53	0.39	15	-2
110	Redditch	West Midlands	6	175	0.39	35	+5
111	Rother	South East	8	105	0.40	19	+7
112	New Forest	South East	13	101	0.40	20	-4
113	Dorset	South West	31	453	0.41	146	+65
114	North Warwickshire	West Midlands	5	36	0.42	10	+1
115	High Peak	East Midlands	7	103	0.42	15	-29
116	Torfaen	Wales	9	47	0.42	15	+1
117	Ribble Valley	North West	4	52	0.43	6	0
118	Thurrock	East of England	11	56	0.43	13	-6
119	Caerphilly	Wales	18	326	0.43	33	+6
120	Babergh	East of England	7	72	0.43	77	+11
121	Test Valley	South East	9	36	0.44	13	-3
122	Wigan	North West	30	130	0.46	99	+6
123	Dacorum	East of England	11	161	0.47	12	-5
124	Amber Valley	East Midlands	12	79	0.48	14	-3
125	Bridgend	Wales	16	315	0.49	33	-2
126	Telford and Wrekin	West Midlands	18	18	0.49	38	-2
127	Folkestone and Hythe	South East	12	218	0.50	24	+3
128	Chorley	North West	11	36	0.50	13	0
129	Ceredigion	Wales	8	124	0.51	27	+17
130	Guildford	South East	10	170	0.51	22	+5
131	Kirklees	Yorkshire and The Humber	39	212	0.52	118	-5
132	Lancaster	North West	15	110	0.52	71	+4
133	Stafford	West Midlands	13	58	0.52	17	-4
134	Northumberland	North East	35	257	0.52	102	+10
135	Maldon	East of England	6	56	0.52	9	-12
136	North Tyneside	North East	22	122	0.53	79	-10
137	Mole Valley	South East	7	100	0.53	8	-1
138	Rochdale	North West	23	87	0.54	35	+1
139	Brentwood	East of England	6	166	0.55	6	-1
140	Neath Port Talbot	Wales	20	179	0.56	26	-9
141	North Yorkshire	Yorkshire and The Humber	62	686	0.57	121	+10
142	Cannock Chase	West Midlands	12	179	0.59	12	+4
143	Medway	South East	29	311	0.60	105	+62
144	Blaenau Gwent	Wales	10	110	0.60	10	+2
145	Ashford	South East	14	96	0.62	16	0
146	Bassetlaw	East Midlands	15	44	0.62	15	-11
147	Pembrokeshire	Wales	17	254	0.63	28	+6
148	West Oxfordshire	South East	11	85	0.64	22	-5
149	West Suffolk	East of England	19	242	0.65	112	-22
150	Canterbury	South East	20	177	0.65	106	+1
151	Carmarthenshire	Wales	28	306	0.65	67	+2
152	Gosport	South East	11	32	0.66	11	-7
153	Fylde	North West	11	101	0.66	11	+2
154	South Somerset	South West	21	100	0.66	27	-5
155	Welwyn Hatfield	East of England	12	26	0.67	13	+5
156	Gateshead	North East	29	104	0.68	29	-11
157	Wrexham	Wales	19	19	0.69	26	-4
158	Oadby and Wigston	East Midlands	7	413	0.71	8	0
159	Conwy	Wales	19	83	0.73	26	+6
160	South Ribble	North West	15	106	0.74	119	+62
161	Huntingdonshire	East of England	22	67	0.74	72	+6
162	Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole	South West	56	420	0.76	62	+11
163	Bury	North West	28	28	0.78	30	-6
164	Sandwell	West Midlands	48	48	0.79	143	+12
165	Burnley	North West	16	16	0.82	18	-10
166	Cheshire East	North West	56	316	0.83	71	-20
167	West Lancashire	North West	19	19	0.83	21	-8
168	South Tyneside	North East	28	236	0.84	54	+8
169	West Northamptonshire	East Midlands	55	148	0.85	88	-1
170	Walsall	West Midlands	47	47	0.87	131	-13
171	Hyndburn	North West	15	55	0.88	24	+9
172	Colchester	East of England	29	131	0.89	35	-6
173	Chichester	South East	19	19	0.91	23	-7
174	Warrington	North West	34	146	0.91	59	0
175	Braintree	East of England	24	91	0.91	78	-7
176	South Gloucestershire	South West	44	44	0.93	57	+14
177	Vale of White Horse	South East	19	200	0.93	30	-2
178	Kingston upon Hull, City of	Yorkshire and The Humber	51	169	0.96	58	+46
179	Watford	East of England	13	190	1.01	29	+5
180	Bolton	North West	54	54	1.01	55	-14
181	Portsmouth	South East	37	182	1.01	55	-33
182	Middlesbrough	North East	30	220	1.02	32	-11
183	Shropshire	West Midlands	61	61	1.02	69	0
184	South Lakeland	North West	19	215	1.03	27	-3
185	Basildon	East of England	33	112	1.05	33	-9
186	South Holland	East Midlands	19	19	1.06	37	+13
187	East Lindsey	East Midlands	39	134	1.10	41	-13
188	Sedgemoor	South West	27	84	1.13	40	-1
189	Calderdale	Yorkshire and The Humber	43	53	1.14	45	-34
190	Rochford	East of England	16	178	1.17	18	+5
191	Reigate and Banstead	South East	25	88	1.19	49	0
192	Stoke-on-Trent	West Midlands	66	140	1.21	114	-18
193	Swale	South East	36	186	1.21	49	+5
194	Herefordshire, County of	West Midlands	43	208	1.23	56	+18
195	King's Lynn and West Norfolk	East of England	39	91	1.25	39	+4
196	Cornwall	South West	151	1,077	1.25	242	+85
197	Tunbridge Wells	South East	22	93	1.27	37	+15
198	Salford	North West	64	64	1.28	68	-13
199	North East Lincolnshire	Yorkshire and The Humber	43	205	1.34	43	-1
200	Blackburn with Darwen	North West	39	39	1.36	97	+18
201	Buckinghamshire	South East	103	324	1.38	282	+19
202	St. Helens	North West	57	57	1.40	59	+1
203	Lincoln	East Midlands	30	31	1.41	78	+18
204	Halton	North West	40	267	1.41	53	-22
205	Isle of Wight	South East	47	169	1.43	51	0
206	Mid Sussex	South East	32	156	1.45	33	+1
207	Wyre Forest	West Midlands	30	30	1.47	30	-13
208	Cumberland	North West	80	445	1.48	102	-10
209	Sefton	North West	92	193	1.50	111	-7
210	Ipswich	East of England	38	136	1.51	97	+5
211	York	Yorkshire and The Humber	54	189	1.56	100	+8
212	Stockport	North West	85	85	1.59	134	-165
213	Gwynedd	Wales	36	283	1.60	48	-1
214	Southampton	South East	72	283	1.64	90	+8
215	Mansfield	East Midlands	40	92	1.65	40	+1
216	Basingstoke and Deane	South East	47	47	1.69	53	+3
217	Maidstone	South East	48	48	1.71	55	+24
218	Winchester	South East	34	76	1.74	36	-10
219	Gravesham	South East	31	95	1.77	51	+18
220	Great Yarmouth	East of England	40	169	1.77	75	-2
221	Trafford	North West	67	67	1.78	74	-6
222	Dudley	West Midlands	115	115	1.84	191	-3
223	Wirral	North West	136	136	1.86	146	-58
224	Stevenage	East of England	29	98	1.87	31	+1
225	Exeter	South West	45	98	1.89	54	+6
226	Sunderland	North East	124	295	1.93	155	-35
227	Slough	South East	35	83	1.95	65	+8
228	Leeds	Yorkshire and The Humber	265	530	1.95	356	+10
229	Swindon	South West	73	120	1.97	97	+29
230	Tameside	North West	91	91	1.97	131	-39
231	Stratford-on-Avon	West Midlands	44	44	2.03	61	-23
232	Boston	East Midlands	26	98	2.07	29	-1
233	Derby	East Midlands	106	106	2.16	107	-38
234	Peterborough	East of England	78	78	2.22	97	-27
235	Bradford	Yorkshire and The Humber	208	208	2.22	310	-15
236	Blackpool	North West	80	252	2.26	89	-11
237	Bedford	East of England	65	65	2.26	79	0
238	St Albans	East of England	44	167	2.30	45	-32
239	Rugby	West Midlands	42	86	2.33	43	-20
240	North Northamptonshire	East Midlands	147	188	2.36	164	+2
241	Southend-on-Sea	East of England	79	249	2.39	95	-16
242	Wolverhampton	West Midlands	116	116	2.42	151	-60
243	Chesterfield	East Midlands	58	92	2.43	86	-18
244	Doncaster	Yorkshire and The Humber	152	152	2.44	157	-31
245	Wokingham	South East	54	54	2.44	54	-13
246	Newport	Wales	78	78	2.48	90	-4
247	Epsom and Ewell	South East	26	26	2.51	264	0
248	Cardiff	Wales	171	536	2.53	246	-89
249	Bracknell Forest	South East	43	43	2.57	43	-6
250	West Berkshire	South East	61	110	2.58	64	+1
251	Chelmsford	East of England	69	166	2.63	83	-7
252	Dartford	South East	44	44	2.69	56	-7
253	Milton Keynes	South East	118	185	2.78	139	-15
254	Harlow	East of England	43	43	2.82	43	-7
255	Crawley	South East	50	123	2.83	51	-5
256	Central Bedfordshire	East of England	126	126	2.86	131	-30
257	Newcastle upon Tyne	North East	164	489	2.88	206	-74
258	Birmingham	West Midlands	574	574	2.90	674	+25
259	Leicester	East Midlands	166	166	2.90	192	-23
260	Nottingham	East Midlands	177	177	2.94	192	-14
261	Warwick	West Midlands	71	129	3.15	83	+8
262	Cheltenham	South West	60	186	3.17	60	-7
263	Swansea	Wales	172	280	3.22	187	-79
264	Plymouth	South West	185	185	3.22	217	-29
265	Woking	South East	47	183	3.32	61	0
266	Solihull	West Midlands	126	126	3.38	274	+58
267	Somerset West and Taunton	South West	104	195	3.45	106	+38
268	Cheshire West and Chester	North West	230	230	3.49	265	-21
269	East Staffordshire	West Midlands	75	95	3.58	75	-7
270	Bristol, City of	South West	306	307	3.77	309	-27
271	Norwich	East of England	119	119	3.96	119	-48
272	Sheffield	Yorkshire and The Humber	441	441	4.01	441	n/a
273	Tamworth	West Midlands	60	60	4.13	62	-26
274	Cherwell	South East	103	125	4.40	106	+46
275	Cambridge	East of England	96	255	4.48	97	-27
276	Brighton and Hove	South East	234	568	4.52	296	-58
277	Oxford	South East	108	108	4.60	126	+3
278	Windsor and Maidenhead	South East	90	115	4.76	95	+11
279	Rushmoor	South East	74	74	5.17	79	-6
280	Luton	East of England	165	165	5.33	167	n/a
281	Knowsley	North West	198	198	5.66	219	-14
282	Preston	North West	156	156	5.81	168	-34
283	Nuneaton and Bedworth	West Midlands	163	208	6.34	170	-39
284	Coventry	West Midlands	397	397	6.94	397	-78
285	Worcester	West Midlands	180	222	9.89	201	-29
286	Reading	South East	243	243	10.09	390	+101
287	Manchester	North West	1,068	1,068	11.04	1,103	-35
288	London (TfL)	London	13,713	13,713	11.78	14,077	-1128
289	Liverpool	North West	1,316	1,316	12.42	1,318	-28
290	Ashfield	East Midlands	395	480	14.20	403	+213

Download the full dataset (CSV), 290 rows, with ONS codes.

How Look Into made this

Vehicle counts are from the Department for Transport's table TAXI0104, which records every licensed taxi and private hire vehicle by licensing authority at 1 April 2026, with the 2024 snapshot for comparison. Disabled residents are people "disabled under the Equality Act" in Census 2021 table TS038, matched to each licensing authority by ONS code. London is licensed as one area by Transport for London, so its 33 boroughs are added together. Cumberland and North Yorkshire became single councils after the census, so their former districts are added together. County subtotal rows are left out so no vehicle is counted twice. The rate is wheelchair-accessible taxis divided by disabled residents, times 1,000.

What this could not check. The counts are vehicles licensed, not vehicles working. A licensed accessible taxi may run part-time or at night only. Councils report the figures themselves and DfT does not audit them. The census was taken in March 2021 and the vehicles were counted in April 2026, so the rates mix two dates. The 2024 figures for Barnsley, Sheffield, Broadland and Luton could not be matched or were suppressed, so their change is not shown. Wheelchair users have different needs, and a vehicle that meets one council's accessibility standard may not suit every chair.

Sources

DfT, Taxi and private hire vehicle statistics, England: 2026 (13 August 2026)
DfT, Taxi and private hire vehicle data tables, table TAXI0104 (2023, 2024 and 2026 sheets)
ONS, Census 2021, TS038 Disability, lower tier local authorities
DfT, Access to taxis and private hire vehicles for disabled users: statutory guidance (20 June 2022)

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Wheelchair-Accessible Taxis by Council 2026: The 18 Areas With None

What the licensing data shows

The 18 areas with no wheelchair-accessible taxi

The next 15 lowest, per 1,000 disabled residents

The 10 highest

Why this counts taxis, not private hire

What the law says if you use a wheelchair

All 290 licensing areas

How Look Into made this

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