Posted on September 23, 2025

A Real-Life Example: The Wheelchair Assessment

I’d been waiting thirty weeks for my NHS wheelchair assessment — an appointment that would decide if I could finally get a chair that matched my changing needs. On the morning of the big day, my car wouldn’t start. Panic set in. Public transport wasn’t an option: buses wouldn’t get me there on time and, even if they had, ramps break, delays are common, and boarding isn’t guaranteed. Missing that appointment would have meant staying stuck in a wheelchair that no longer fitted me, leaving me in pain and at risk of injury.

One phone call to my local private hire firm changed everything. A driver who knew me well turned up quickly, folded my chair, stowed it safely in the boot, and got me to the hospital on time. That journey wasn’t a luxury — it was essential. For me, and for so many others, taxis aren’t about convenience. They’re about survival.

What’s Being Proposed

The Chancellor is reportedly looking to add 20% VAT to taxi and private hire fares. To many, that might just sound like a small tax tweak. But for disabled people, especially those of us living in rural areas, this is huge. Taxis aren’t an optional extra — they’re often the only safe and reliable way we can get to appointments, do the weekly shop, or simply stay connected with the outside world.

Why Public Transport Doesn’t Cut It

It’s easy to say, “Well, just take the bus or train.” But the reality for disabled people is very different.

Buses

In places like Norfolk, buses are few and far between. Add in bad weather — snow, ice, heavy rain — and getting to the stop in a wheelchair can be dangerous or impossible. Holding an umbrella while self-propelling? Forget it. Even if you make it, ramps often don’t work, and buses usually only take one wheelchair. If that spot’s already taken, you’re left waiting, sometimes for an hour or more. And while the law says wheelchairs take priority over pushchairs, many drivers won’t enforce it because they don’t want a row with passengers.

Trains

Trains can be just as bad. Many stations still don’t have step-free access. Assistance is supposed to be bookable, but it’s unreliable, and if your condition means plans change suddenly, you’re stuck.

Walking or Rolling

For those of us with mobility issues, “just walk” isn’t an option. Weather, uneven ground, and sheer exhaustion make it unsafe or impossible.

So when people say “use public transport,” they don’t see that, for many of us, it isn’t a choice. Taxis and private hire vehicles are often the only option.

What a 20% Fare Hike Means in Real Life

Adding VAT to taxi fares isn’t just about numbers — it’s about real lives.

• Money worries: A £10 fare jumps to £12. A £25 fare becomes £30. If you rely on taxis several times a week, you’re suddenly paying hundreds more a month just to get by.
• Missed healthcare: When costs go up, people miss hospital and therapy appointments. That leads to worse health, which costs the NHS more in the long run.
• Isolation: Disabled people are already at high risk of loneliness. Making transport less affordable means being cut off even further from friends, family, and community.
• Losing independence: Many of us balance carefully between staying independent and needing more care. Extra costs tip that balance, pushing people into greater dependence on carers or emergency services.

Isn’t This Indirect Discrimination?

Under the Equality Act 2010, policies that disproportionately disadvantage disabled people need a strong justification. Adding VAT to taxi fares looks like a textbook case of indirect discrimination. Non-disabled people can walk, cycle, or use unreliable buses. Disabled people often don’t have those choices.

And let’s not forget — the UK signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which says we should have equal access to transport. A blanket tax rise on taxis undermines that commitment.

The Rural Reality

Living in rural counties makes this even worse. Norfolk, for example, has patchy bus services and long distances between essential places. If you can’t drive because you’re unwell or on medication, taxis aren’t just handy — they’re essential. Slapping VAT on fares would hit rural disabled people hardest, adding financial exclusion to geographical isolation.

What It Means for the NHS and Social Care

This move wouldn’t just hurt individuals — it would pile pressure on public services too.

• NHS spending: The health service already spends a fortune on private hire transport. Add VAT, and that bill gets bigger.
• Emergency care: Missed appointments mean conditions get worse, leading to more A&E visits and longer hospital stays.
• Social care: If people can’t afford to get out and live independently, more will need costly care packages from councils that are already stretched thin.

What Could Be Done Instead

If the government really wants to tidy up VAT rules, there are fairer ways to do it:

1. Exempt disabled passengers: Just as specialist mobility equipment is VAT-free, taxi journeys booked by or for disabled people should be too.
2. Expand subsidy schemes: TaxiCard and Dial-a-Ride are lifelines but too limited. A proper national scheme could level the playing field.
3. Protect NHS-related journeys: Non-emergency hospital trips shouldn’t face VAT. It just shifts the cost back onto the health service anyway.

Time to Speak Up

On paper, adding 20% VAT to taxi fares looks like a neat way for the Treasury to raise cash. In reality, it risks cutting off disabled people from healthcare, community, and independence. Taxis aren’t a luxury. They’re a lifeline.

If the government cares about fairness and inclusion, it can’t ignore what this means for real people. To do so would be not just wrong, but short-sighted — piling costs onto the NHS and social care while deepening isolation.

So this is the moment to act. Disabled people and those who care about equality need to speak out. Share your story. Write to your MP. Make it clear that this tax will hurt the people who can least afford it.

Because at the end of the day, mobility isn’t a privilege. It’s a right. And taxing taxis is, quite literally, taxing survival.