Taxi drivers will be fined up to £1,000 if they refuse wheelchair users or try to charge them extra, under new rules unveiled today.
Drivers who fall foul of the law could also have their taxi licence suspended or revoked.
But there will be an exemption for those with health problems, Conservative ministers said.
The fines, which will come into force from April 6 in Scotland, England and Wales, will affect vehicles designated ‘wheelchair accessible’ and apply to both taxis and private hire vehicles.
Campaigners welcomed the move saying that for too long those in wheelchairs had suffered discrimination.
But they warned that the new fines should not lead to a cut in the number of accessible vehicles.
Making the announcement, Tory transport minister Andrew Jones said: "People who use wheelchairs are often heavily reliant on taxis and private hire vehicles and this change to the law will mean fair and equal treatment for all.”
Robert Meadowcroft, the chief executive of the charity Muscular Dystrophy UK, said it was a "victory for all people with disabilities who experience daily struggles with accessible transport".
But he added that he hoped the changes would not “affect the number of accessible taxis being made available by companies because of the duties now being placed on to drivers”.
Taxi drivers in Aberdeen have opposed plans to make all 1,079 taxis in the city wheelchair accessible by 2017.
Tony Kenmuir, the chairman of Central Taxis, said all their 465 cabs in Edinburgh were wheelchair accessible, said that he supported the initiative.
"In my personal experience, with responsibility for over 1,100 drivers working 24/7 365 days a year, I have never seen a complaint about over-pricing relating to discrimination of a wheelchair user.
"However, this initiative may help to increase the focus of the trade and the travelling public on the requirements of those with accessibility issues and we hope it will help to ensure that they experience consistent service across the trade and across the entire country."
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