A SCHEME enabling disabled people to take a taxi instead of a bus should be operating by the spring.

Hambleton District Council is expected to approve a system whereby certain people will qualify for travel vouchers worth up to £30 a year. Vouchers will cover part of the cost of short taxi journeys in the district for people with specific disabilities.

The council expects the concessionary taxi fares scheme to cost nearly £21,000 a year, although the exact figure will depend on the number of people who qualify for the mobility allowance.

Council head of finance, Frank Wilson, said: "The idea behind the scheme is that there are people who cannot use the buses because of their disabilities and so the vouchers will allow them to take taxis.

"They will pay half of the fare in cash and the other half in voucher form.

"A higher level of voucher will be given to those living in more rural areas, taking into consideration that they will have further to travel."

The council has examined similar schemes already operating in North Yorkshire.

Richmondshire has a system where 200 disabled people in the district receive £40 worth of vouchers.

David Chefneux, head of accountancy at Richmondshire District Council, said: "The scheme here is well received. There are a limited number of bus routes and disabled people have difficulty getting to places. The taxi can pick them up from their doorstep and take them exactly where they want to go."

Councillors are expected to approve the taxi scheme across the Hambleton district, following detailed consultation with taxi operators. The scheme should start in April.