COUNCILLORS in Inverclyde have agreed to give taxi licences to more cars which can carry disabled passengers.

Wheel-chair accessible vehicles, including the Peugeot Premier and similar models can now be granted general public hire licences and Multi-Access Vehicle (MAV) public hire licences. MAV licences were previously not allowed for such cars.

Currently, 20 restricted MAV public hire licences are issued by Inverclyde Council, several of which do not have a vehicle operating on them. Some licence holders cite the purchase costs and running costs of larger MAVs as the reason for not bringing vehicles forward for licensing.

It is hoped the council's decision will let operators purchase less expensive approved models.