Taxicard eligibility criteria

The scheme is available to permanent residents of the borough who are who are blind or with severe mobility difficulties.

Automatic criteria

People with these criteria will be eligible without needing further assessment. People applying under (a) or (b) whose award is for a limited period of time (i.e. not indefinite) will only be eligible for the scheme for that period.

(a) In receipt of the Higher Rate Mobility Component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA)

Evidence required: Award letter from Department for Work and Pensions stating that you receive the higher rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance. This must be dated within last 12 months. If you do not have an award letter dated within the last 12 months you can get one from the Department for Works and Pensions on 03457 123456.

(b) People who score 8 points or more under the ‘Moving Around’ section of Personal Independence Payments (PIP)

Evidence required: Complete award letter (all pages) from Department for Work and Pensions stating that you receive 8 points or more under the ‘Moving Around’ section of Personal Independence Payments. This must be dated within last 12 months and provide the award end date. If you do not have an award letter dated within the last 12 months you
can get one from the Department for Works and Pensions on 0345 850 3322.

(c) In receipt of the War Pensioner’s Mobility Supplement

Evidence required: Award letter from Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA) stating that you receive the War Pensioners Mobility Supplement. A letter can be ordered from the SPVA on 0808 1914218 or 0800 169 2277.

(d) A person who is Blind (not partially sighted)

Evidence required: Certificate of Vision Impairment (CVI) signed by a Consultant Opthamologist, BD8 form or registration with Local Authority.

Assessed eligibility

These criteria will be subject to further assessment.

Severe Mobility Impairment

If you have a disability, or have suffered an injury, which has a substantial and long term adverse affect on your ability to walk, but you are not in receipt of any of the above benefits, we can assess your eligibility for the scheme using the following guidance. People with temporary disabilities e.g. a broken leg, will not qualify.

To meet this criteria you need to have a permanent and substantial disability that means you cannot walk or which makes walking very difficult, and you experience difficulty in using public transport. This means that you experience great difficulty walking and that the distance you can walk is significantly limited. Other factors are also considered such as walking speed, gait, balance, pain and breathlessness. The carrying of bags or parcels is not considered.

The following statements outline the levels of disability we would expect to see in someone applying for a London Taxicard:

1) The applicant cannot walk

• Being unable to walk means that they cannot take a single step
• The applicant needs to show that, because of their permanent and substantial disability, they cannot put one foot in front of the other
• Walking involves always having one foot on the ground

2) The applicant has very considerable difficulty in walking

The applicant will need to show that, as a result of their permanent and substantial disability, they are unable to walk very far without experiencing severe difficulty. Several factors may be relevant to determining this, as follows:

• Excessive pain experienced when walking, or as a consequence of the effort of walking
• Any breathlessness reported by the applicant when walking, or as a consequence of the effort of walking. Respiratory rates will be observed during a mobility assessment
• The distance an applicant is able to walk without excessive pain or breathlessness
• The speed at which the applicant is able to walk
• The length of time that the applicant is able to walk for
• The manner in which the applicant walks. The applicant's posture, rhythm, coordination, balance and stride are all considered in terms of the effect they have on their ability to walk
• An applicant’s use of walking aids. The fact that a walking aid is or is not used may be relevant to the decision but does not alone determine whether or not a Taxicard is issued
• The applicant’s outdoor walking ability. In this we consider the person's ability to negotiate different types of pavement or road, including any degree of incline or decline

3) The effort of walking presents a danger to the applicant's life, or would be likely to lead to a serious deterioration in their health.

The applicant needs to show that they should not walk very far because of the danger to their health. This element is intended for people with serious chest, lung or heart conditions who may be physically able to walk normally. The serious deterioration does not need to be permanent but it should require medical intervention for them to recover.

They will need to show that any danger to their health is a direct result of the effort required to walk. People with epilepsy will need to show that any fits were brought about by the effort required to walk.