Asylum seekers use taxis to go to the doctors – level 2

Asylum seekers use taxis to go to the doctors

03-12-2025 07:00

The British government is banning the use of taxis for taking asylum seekers to most medical appointments starting in February.

This decision came after a BBC investigation found that some people were taking very long and expensive taxi journeys, for example, one trip cost 600 pounds. The government launched a review and revealed that its transport costs for asylum seekers are about 15.8 million pounds per year. That is more than 18 million euros.

Ministers now want asylum seekers to use public transport for routine appointments to save money. There are exceptions for people who are disabled or pregnant. While the government hopes to reduce waste, the number of asylum seekers staying in hotels is still increasing, which suggests the total transport bill may also be rising.

Difficult words: asylum seeker (a person who left their home country because of danger or disaster), routine (ordinary and regular), exception (a case which doesn’t follow a general rule).

You can watch the original video in the Level 3 section.

Which asylum seekers are still allowed to take taxis for medical appointments under the new rules?

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