$21m state government injection for wheelchair-accessible taxis
The State Government has unveiled a $21 million scheme to increase the number of wheelchair-accessible taxis. But the families of disabled passengers repeatedly left on the side of the road are uncertain if it will change the attitude of drivers.
Gold Coast
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THE State Government has unveiled a $21 million scheme to increase the number of wheelchair-accessible taxis.
But the families of disabled passengers repeatedly left on the side of the road are uncertain if it will change the attitude of drivers.
Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey was on the Gold Coast yesterday to announce the Wheelchair Accessible Taxi (WAT) fund. The scheme hopes to add a further 65 vehicles or 10 per cent to the state’s wheelchair-accessible fleet.
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The Bulletin last month reported the case of Samuel Amiet, a severely disabled nine-year-old who was repeatedly left on his doorstep or at school despite being part of a State Government school taxi transport program.
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Sam’s mother Simone Amiet yesterday said while she supported any boost to the fleet, the funding alone would not fix the issue of taxi drivers selectively avoiding disability jobs.
Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) CEO Blair Davies said he believed the current service offered to customers was “world standard” and that polices in place were enough.
“If you can get a conventional cab to a customer, you should be able to get a wheelchair-accessible cab to a customer,” he said.
“On average our arrival time is five minutes, that is what we need to do for our wheelchair-accessible cabs.
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“In our business things can and do go wrong, there is traffic, but we are the best when compared with world standards.”
Mr Davies said the boost would make 22 per cent of the fleet wheelchair accessible for a demand of 2 per cent.
Under the funding, wheelchair-accessible taxis aged eight years or older will be eligible for 50 per cent funding for gradual vehicle replacement from 2019-20 through to 2022-23.
Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey, who made the announcement ahead of the Australian Taxi Industry Association’s annual international conference, said the funding program would also be available for other taxi operators to make their vehicles wheelchair accessible.
Originally published as $21m state government injection for wheelchair-accessible taxis