аЯрЁБс>ўџ 13ўџџџ0џџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџьЅСY П‘!bjbjѓWѓW .‘=‘=‘џџџџџџ]ФФФФФФФиииии фиљЖОРРРРРР$ЏєЃ6фФф*ФФ***ФФОииФФФФО*”*ОФФОј `Й є‹СииОSubmission in response to the Notice of inquiry: Equal Access to wheelchair accessible taxi services From ParaQuad Victoria Response times: As a disability organisation, based in Melbourne, we have had numerous reports from clients and carers of extremely long waiting periods. Up to 2-3 hours after the time initially asked for. There have been instances of the now defunct Central Booking Service saying that they are unable to give a definite time. It is too soon to tell whether the new booking arrangement in Victoria will lead to consistent improvement. In one instance a client was told that a taxi couldn’t be found and he would have to stay the night wherever he was. He was on the street in the city As a manual wheelchair user, who can use ‘regular’ taxis, while visiting Canberra recently and wanting to get back to my hotel from an outer suburb, I was told by the booking person that I would have to wait a long time because drivers did not want to pick up people in wheelchairs. It goes without saying that one cannot base any reasonable quality of life on this sort of unreliability. Aside from social disadvantage, it could ruin ones employment opportunities if one could be 2-3 hours late for work. The underlying assumption seems to be that any schedule a person with a disability might have can’t be important. It is patently discriminatory to be delayed and down graded in this way. Proportion of taxi fleet accessible: Based on information obtained from the Victorian Taxi Directorate, approximately 5.75% of the Victorian taxi fleet are wheelchair accessible Are these proportions sufficient?: Judging from the difficulty in getting these taxis to respond in the same way that the general fleet does to able bodied passengers, one would have to judge that the proportions in Melbourne, at least, are insufficient. The percentage above, if correct, seems below the percentage of people with mobility impairment in the population. If the proportion of taxis which are accessible to wheelchairs (this includes Flash Cab type vehicles, which are easily used for the general population) were increased to 45%-50%, there would be such availability as create a much higher likelihood of equal treatment. Raising this to 100% is the optimal situation. However, there seems to be some evidence that factors other than numbers of taxis also contribute to the current unsatisfactory situation. There is anecdotal evidence that in Melbourne, some Multi Purpose Taxi drivers prefer to pick up large groups of passengers from the airport and avoid calls to people with disabilities in order to gain the consequent larger fare. There was a particularly bad instance of this documented in the Melbourne ‘Herald Sun’ recently. There are also problems of attitude, such as the ones mentioned above, encountered in Canberra. There are casual drivers who have no idea of how the whole system works and would therefore rather avoid it. This seems to be a training problem Measures to ensure numbers: The Multi purpose taxi service in Vic was meant to provide more taxis, however, while it may have done so on paper, there are abuses of this system, as described in the above section. Licenses to run accessible taxis have also been granted at a much lower price than the normal taxi license. There have also been abuses of this system as described above and below. Obviously, drivers should be able to pick up non-disabled when there are no requests from passengers with disability but there seem to be many instances where they just do this anyway out of preference. The current State Government has promised to ‘counsel’ drivers who do not carry out their responsibilities in regard to people with disabilities. It would be interesting to know exactly how this process works, how abuses are detected and what the outcomes of such counseling are Universal Taxi: It would be less discriminatory if people in wheelchairs could just hail a taxi and 100% universal taxis would obviously make this more likely. However, meanwhile a situation must be created where there is the availability to ensure a better service. Because of the negative attitudes described above, people feel they must book because at least the driver who comes has agreed to take them and knows who they are getting.as a passenger Otherwise they may be confronted with hostility or negligence and for someone who is physically vulnerable this is stressful, frustrating and frightening. However, together with thorough training, aquainting of drivers with their legal obligations and fining where necessary, a large increase of accessible taxi numbers can only increase the likelihood of having a more reliable service. Dedicated service: The main disadvantage would seem to be for the drivers, who risk being idle when no calls come in and if they not subsidised this would be a financial disincentive. However, it would have the advantage of having a pool of operators and drivers who could be properly trained and employed with this specific purpose in mind, thus saving people with disabilities from the ignorance and neglect they quite often experience in many situations including this one. Another disadvantage would be that a dedicated service would mean limited numbers of taxis whereas the universal taxi idea opens the possibility of a much larger pool of potential carriers if legal obligations can be recognised and attitudinal change achieved. Economic factors: These are probably better dealt with by taxi firms. However, while people with disabilities often have half price concession cards, drivers are compensated by the Victorian Government so that they ultimately receive the full fare As previously mentioned a large reduction of licence fee is granted to operators of accessible taxis. Effective use of accessible fleets: We are unsure as yet as to the effectiveness of the GPS system. What is the penalty if someone does not follow it? Due to reports of abuses mentioned earlier, it seems as though enforcement of performance standards and licence conditions is somewhat flimsy in Victoria and needs to be strengthened. There is a huge need for clarification of responsibilities of all concerned. Lately in Victoria statements have been made which seem positive but there needs to be action to make clear obligations and the penalties for not carrying them out. Someone needs to take the transport needs of people with disabilities as seriously as they regard those of the rest of the community. While there are many conscientious and well meaning operators, safety is a huge issue. There must be adequate training. Would we place a casual ambulance driver in charge of an ambulance? Many people with disabilities are likely to be hurt if not placed in the right restraints. Casual drivers sometimes know nothing about applying the necessary straps and restraints. They don’t even realise that it is a requirement. Sometimes these procedures are not carried out properly. The mental health of the passenger is also effected by the attitude of the driver. It is wearing and debilitating to be treated as a bother, as defective etc by a succession of drivers. There is a great need for disability awareness training While the ideal would be a large fleet of universal taxis driven by enlightened drivers, one wonders whether salaried drivers, trained for the job may be a way to a reliable and more stress free service. The increase in numbers does seem to be essential, no matter what. Other issues must also be addressed Janice Florence InformationCoordinator }€ Є 3 U ЄП [m?QŸТ‘!ћѓыѓыѓыѓысзазазаза CJOJQJ56CJOJQJ5>*CJOJQJ5>*OJQJ6>*OJQJOJQJe|}ШЩфх € 2 3 ЃЄpqZ[89>?78žŸ6ю§§§§§§§§§§§§§§ћћћћћћћћћћћћћћћe|}ШЩфх € 2 3 ЃЄpqZ[89>?78žŸ6юf4 5 h!i!j!z!‘!§§§§§§§§§§§§§§%юf4 5 h!i!j!z!‘!§§§§§§§§Аа/ Ар=!А"А# $ %А [$@ёџ$NormalmH <A@ђџЁ<Default Paragraph Font0B@ђ0 Body Text 5>*CJ‘.џџџџ‘!ю‘!‘!z“z“џџFlorence, Janice2C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\AutoRecovery save of Document1.asdFlorence, JaniceCC:\My Documents\Submission in response to the Notice of inquiry.docFlorence, JaniceCC:\My Documents\Submission in response to the Notice of inquiry.docFlorence, JaniceCC:\My Documents\Submission in response to the Notice of inquiry.docџ@€ Ы…g‘P@GTimes New Roman5€Symbol3& Arial"ёˆаhзWF.WFOFa 4$ЅРДД€r0d№џџdSubmission in response to the Notice of inquiry: Equal Access to wheelchair accessible taxi servicesFlorence, JaniceFlorence, Janiceўџр…ŸђљOhЋ‘+'Гй0аˆ (4H dp Œ ˜ ЄАИРШфeSubmission in response to the Notice of inquiry: Equal Access to wheelchair accessible taxi servicesAubmFlorence, Janiceonlor Normal.dotJFlorence, Janiceon3orMicrosoft Word 8.0n@šB @R—9€С@чб‹СFaўџеЭеœ.“—+,љЎ0` hp˜ Ј АИРШ а AфParaQuad Assoc of Vice4 №* eSubmission in response to the Notice of inquiry: Equal Access to wheelchair accessible taxi services Title ўџџџўџџџ!"#$%&'ўџџџ)*+,-./ўџџџ§џџџ2ўџџџўџџџўџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџRoot Entryџџџџџџџџ РF И+‹С`#"є‹С4€1TableC,мC лCџџџџџџџџџџџџ WordDocumentќˆT џџџ5џџџџџџџџ1 цC<@еH.SummaryInformation(џџџџџџџЈоCpжH DocumentSummaryInformationm8џџџџџџџџџџџџ(аоCCompObjџџџџjObjectPoolC$оCџџџџџџџџџџџџ`#"є‹С`#"є‹СИкC"№ЈрC@m <ЯCpТCџџџџџџџџџџџџ:\1pрC&№ўџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџўџ џџџџ РFMicrosoft Word Document MSWordDocWord.Document.8є9Вq