Recommendation 28

The department should publish a national plan to increase wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV) provision. The plan should be underpinned by a single national WAV fleet requirement, specifying the minimum proportion of each licensing authority’s total licensed fleet that must be wheelchair accessible vehicles. The plan should require every licensing authority to demonstrate and report progress against that requirement. While local delivery models may differ, including in rural and low-density areas, the required minimum proportion of WAVs and the standard of passenger access those vehicles must meet should be consistent nationally. The plan should also include: • a new requirement to improve transparency, requiring all operators to publish their fleet’s provision of WAVs; and • specific measures to improve WAV provision and provide greater incentives for drivers to use them across the country, including rural and low-density areas. (Recommendation, Paragraph 105) 50