Disability Awareness Course for Taxi Drivers

At present, Sheffield City Council licenses approximately 3,000 drivers, 2,200 private hire vehicles, 500 hackney carriage vehicles and 80 private hire operators. Primary legislation regulates the industry, namely the Town Police Clauses Act 1847, Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 and the Statutory Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Standards. As well as the legislative requirements, the Council's Licensing Service has in place three policies that govern local requirements:

• Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Driver’s Licence Policy
• Private Hire Operator and Vehicle Licence Policy
• Hackney Carriage Vehicle Licence Policy The Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Driver’s Licence Policy was last reviewed in 2022 and introduced a requirement for all new and existing licensees to undertake and pass an approved Disability Awareness training course. The course aims to help individuals to:
• Ensure disabled passengers are transported safely and securely
• Ensure disabled passengers are treated equally and fairly
• Develop an understanding of the types of disabilities individuals are likely to engage with
• Understand the journey from the perspective of the disabled passenger
• Understand the legal, moral, and financial responsibilities We are therefore looking to appoint a training provider to deliver the disability training sessions.