Malaga needs at least 60 more adapted taxis for people with reduced mobility
A report by the city's university has warned of the problems being experienced by wheelchair users in accessing this vital transport service
A continuous stream of complaints from people with disabilities have been warning about the shortage of adapted taxi licences in Malaga. In order to get an objective picture of the situation, the city council commissioned the chair of transport management of the University of Malaga (UMA) to investigate.
According to the subsequent report, "Malaga does not suffer from a notable deficit of vehicles, but there are significant imbalances in terms of coverage, availability and accessibility, which are exacerbated in specific seasons, geographical areas and groups of users, especially people with reduced mobility".
"This, in practice, reduces the right to equal opportunities, non-discrimination and universal accessibility for persons with disabilities," the report reads. Fewer than 5% of the taxis in Malaga's fleet - the optimal proportion - are adapted to serve people with reduced mobility and there is no increase in voluntary adaptation of vehicles.
Improving the adapted park
The document proposes an increase in the number of accessible vehicle licences to 5% of the fleet on a permanent basis, with 5+1 seater vehicles, and ensuring service through digital technologies. The new licences must be permanently attached to a transmitter or technological system that centralises requests, prioritises requests from people with disabilities and optimises the allocation of taxis to users using the 'closest' criterion, which will minimise the waiting time for the person requesting an adapted taxi.
148
adapted taxis will provide this service in Malaga after the increase - 10% of the total fleet of adapted taxis
Consequently, in order to guarantee compliance with the public service, it is necessary to authorise 60 additional licences. The resulting total number of vehicles will be 1,506 (the current 1,446 plus the 60 new ones). Malaga will have 148 adapted taxis, almost 10% of the total fleet, "which will make it possible to conveniently meet the needs of people who use wheelchairs".
This milestone would endorse the city's image as a national benchmark for inclusion and universal accessibility by guaranteeing a sufficient supply of adapted public transport to meet demands. In addition, the increase in the number of licences will also contribute to improving the service for the general public, as the availability of taxis will increase and, consequently, waiting times will be reduced.
