Taxi drivers are relieved after controversial plans to force them to make all cabs fully accessible to disabled passengers were put on ice.
Wigan Council had been considering enforcing Government proposals that would make all Hackney cabs operating in the borough fully accessible from April.
This would have meant almost two-thirds of the 136 license holders in Wigan having to replace their saloons with 'TX1' London Black Cab-style vehicles, which have doors and floors which can accept wheelchair users.
Angry cab drivers insisted that, with trade battered by the recession, many would not be able to afford the extra investment.
And they say, in an age of increasing environmental awareness, the heavier cabs that can take a wheelchair would lead to significantly more pollution.
They also insisted that there are already enough suitable cabs working the ranks across the borough to meet current demand.
The council's Regulation Committee is being recommended to defer the scheme without timescale for further investigation and consultation.
Although they will stipulate in the interim period that any of the current 42 wheelchair-accessible taxis that become worn out must be replaced with similar vehicles.
Their licenses will cost 30% less, to encourage the provision.
Taxi licensing officer Tony Tuffin is now going to consult the other councils across Greater Manchester to achieve consistency in its eventual application.
He said that the subject of accessibility to Hackney Cabs was intricate and needed careful research.
Unite union taxi branch secretary Ronnie Melling, a leading member of the focus group jointly set up between the council, the taxi trade and disabled groups, says that specifying only wheelchair accessible purpose-built cabs for the future was in itself "very discriminatory".
He is concerned that would remove the right of disabled people to travel in saloon Hackneys if they wanted to.
He also claimed that the council was not taking full account of the timescales and exemptions laid down by the Government over the scheme's introduction.
Mr Melling said: "Black cabs use twice as much fuel, causing twice as much pollution and using twice the energy.
"How can the trade invest in better quality vehicles at a time of reduced earnings?"
Pensioners' charity Help The Aged share the Hackney drivers' concern. A spokesman said he was very concerned at the council's intention to restrict future taxi provision to purpose-built vehicles only.
He said: "We support choice and flexibility on the provision of transport services.
"Many older people who use taxis prefer saloon cars to Hackney cabs. They say that saloon cars are easier to get into and out of and that they give a more comfortable ride, particularly for those with arthritis and similar conditions."
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