EVERY taxi in Wyre Forest should be wheelchair accessible, according to the majority of people surveyed by a disability rights group.
Disability Action Wyre Forest (DAWF) carried out an online poll asking what percentage of the fleet should be made up of the Hackney Carriage vehicles.
Of the 85 people who voted, 58 wanted every taxi to be suitable for wheelchairs – a 68 per cent share of the vote.
DAWF has recommended a minimum of 75 per cent of the fleet should be wheelchair accessible but there were only 11 votes for that in the poll.
Mark Lawley, DAWF chairman, said: “It seems people want 100 per cent of the fleet to be wheelchair accessible but I think we should aim to get to 75 per cent first and then take it from there.
“There might be new vehicles on the market by then that could make the situation more flexible.”
Wyre Forest District Council’s policy states all the taxis in the area should be wheelchair accessible by 2013 but taxi drivers claim many disabled people cannot easily use the specially designed vehicles.
Mr Lawley added: “A lot of people in wheelchairs were telling us there weren’t enough taxis for them during the afternoon because they were being used for school runs. There are also people who complain they can’t get into the new cars.”
Of the remaining votes in the poll, nine people wanted a 50 per cent wheelchair accessible fleet and six wanted 35 per cent.
Taxis with licences due to expire at the end of June will be allowed to stay in use for an extra year if they pass a roadworthiness inspection, the district council decided at a meeting last month.
More than 100 people, including taxi drivers, elderly people and disabled taxi users, staged a protest outside the meeting at Stourport Civic Centre.