It has become clear that Minimum Licensing Standards (MLS) policy within the 10 Greater Manchester authorities would require that all saloon vehicles are replaced by only wheelchair-accessible vehicles. Our members disagree with this policy because of the cost of the wheelchair-converted vehicles in excess of £60,000 which the trade, without any subsidies, would find extremely difficult to finance. 
It is also clear that not all disabilities need a wheelchair-converted vehicle. it would be detrimental to the travelling public who have, in Wigan, for many years had both types of vehicle. 
In addition to this, there is Clean Air (C.A.Z) which has not yet been bought in due to the backlash received from the trade in regards to charge-zones and that was clearly stated by the ex-Prime minister so the original chargeable clean air zone did not come into force in the Greater Manchester area.
This left the trade not receiving, as yet, any form of compensation towards the cost of replacing the older vehicles. Since then, the Councils have been chipping away at MLS which is partly due to the increase in outer-town vehicles like Wolverhampton Private Hire, which is reported to have over 30,000 licenses granted and a proportion of those work in other areas and forces Councils to consider reducing down the effect of MLS, which in this case is forcing drivers to apply for licenses paces like Wolverhampton or Sefton which was quoted in a recent Council meeting in Manchester.
Our members do not see any reasonable advantage in removing saloons as Hackney vehicles, and therefore we ask you to support our endeavours to keep the status quo as before. 
please sign our petition. 
Thank you.