NSW disability services under attack
Thousands of people with disabilities are being held back from community life and the workforce because they cannot access public transport or afford to catch a taxi under the NSW State Government’s subsidy scheme, according to a recent report.
Figures from the Ministry of Transport reveal that only 36% of CityRail stations were wheelchair-accessible in June 2008 and only 30% of bus services in the Sydney metropolitan and outer metropolitan areas were listed as accessible.
Disability advocates say this has forced thousands of people – particularly those living in rural areas and Sydney’s outer suburbs – to rely on wheelchair-accessible taxis to get around.
The NSW government has not increased its taxi transport subsidy since 1999, and it has remained at 50% of a taxi fare, up to a maximum of $30 for each trip, even though taxi fares in NSW have increased by about 55% in that time.
The South Australian and West Australian governments increased their subsidies to 75% of a fare over the same period and two months ago the Victorian government doubled its cap to $60 a trip. The Transport Minister, David Campbell, said the subsidy scheme was one of the most generous in Australia because it did not cap the total subsidy people could receive each year or the number of journeys they could claim.
“In other states the maximum fare for which the subsidy applies is not as generous as ours,” he said. “I am [also] advised NSW has the largest standard and wheelchair-accessible taxi fleet in Australia.”
