Transport for London (TfL) has been urged to halt proposals to close a service which enables disabled users to travel around the city using minicabs until it has fixed other assisted transport schemes first.
Capital Call was set up in 2003 to serve Taxicard members in 10 London boroughs where there has historically been a shortage of taxis. It was then closed to new members in 2015 after a consultation the prior year.
TfL, which has managed the service since 2018, has now consulted on the possibility of ending the service altogether from March 2026 and boosting funding for Taxicard and Dial-A-Ride instead.
Officials say both services have successfully booked over 90% of trips in the 10 boroughs that Capital Call operates in, and that the number of Capital Call trips has fallen by 58% since 2020.
However, London Assembly Member Elly Baker, who chairs the Transport Committee, has said the alternative services must be improved before any such decision is taken.
Ms Baker said Dial-A-Ride, a door-to-door transportation service for people with disabilities who are unable to use public transport, is currently failing to meet user needs, while Taxicard passengers are still struggling in remote areas.
In a letter to Commissioner Andy Lord, she wrote: “We have heard that many of Dial-a-Ride’s users have given up completely because the type of trips they want just won’t fit into the DAR [Dial-a-Ride] schedules, or they can’t handle the booking system.
“Given these issues, the committee is concerned that the current services provided by Dial-a-Ride and Taxicard will be insufficient to pick up the journeys currently covered by Capital Call. This could result in individuals not being able to make the same journeys they used to make or experiencing difficulties with a different booking system.
“It will be critical that TfL solves any outstanding issues relating to Dial-a-Ride and Taxicard before absorbing current Capital Call members.”
The letter also urges TfL to launch a targeted communications campaign to ensure all current members of Capital Call are made aware of the closure and how to access alternative services. TfL was contacted for comment.
Kumail Jaffer is a Local Democracy Reporter covering City Hall and London-wide political news, with a focus on housing, transport, policing, regeneration and issues affecting communities across the capital. Before joining the Local Democracy Reporting Service, he worked as a political and foreign correspondent for national newspapers including the Daily Mail.
