аЯрЁБс>ўџ 35ўџџџ2џџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџьЅСq Пf bjbjt+t+ 0.AAfџџџџџџ]ЂЂЂЂЂЂЂЖЖЖЖЖ ТЖчЖђђђђђЭЭЭЌЎЎЎЎЎЎ$є‘јвЂЭЭЭЭЭв=ЂЂђђлђ===ЭтЂђЂђЌЖЖЂЂЂЂЭЌ= =Y V`@ЂЂЌђоcoF4СЖЖЏŽ  HUMAN RIGHTS AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION (HREOC) INQUIRY INTO RESPONSE TIMES FOR WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE TAXIS SUBMISSION FROM TERRITORY HEALTH SERVICES (THS) The Aged, Disability and Community Care Program of THS is responsible for funding and providing the Taxi Subsidy Scheme for people with disabilities in the Northern Territory. The NT Department of Transport and Works (T&W) Transport Group is responsible for regulating the administration of the Commercial Passenger Transport industry in the Northern Territory. Members of the NT Taxi Subsidy Scheme are able to use their vouchers in three types of commercial passenger vehicles; taxis, private hire cars and mini-buses. Currently there are 860 members of the Taxi Subsidy Scheme, located in Alice Springs, Katherine and Darwin. 25% (215) of the members need to use wheelchair accessible vehicles. The number of people on the Scheme in each centre, who need to use wheelchair accessible taxis is: Darwin 170 Alice Springs 35 Katherine 10 The Scheme currently does not operate in Tennant Creek or Nuhlunbuy, mainly because there are no wheelchair accessible vehicles in these two small regional centres. Negotiations are currently underway to commence the Scheme in Nhulunbuy. Most remote communities in the NT do not have access to taxi services. Total expenditure on the Taxi Subsidy Scheme in 2000/2001 was $320,000. Response times: THS does not have access to information about response times. T&W is the regulatory authority and also deals with complaints from consumers. Complaints to T&W must include details of the time, date, taxi number and driver ID. Consumers cannot always provide this information, and T&W is not always able to follow up the complaint. If the complaint is substantiated T&W is able to take action against the owner/driver under the relevant legislation. THS has received anecdotal information from consumers in Darwin that it is very difficult, and sometimes impossible, to obtain wheelchair accessible vehicles after normal working hours and on weekends. There have been a number of complaints made about taxis not arriving even when pre-booked, and long waiting times for taxis when not pre-booked. There is further anecdotal information about wheelchair accessible taxis refusing to pick up people in wheelchairs, because they prefer to take non-wheelchair fares. Alice Springs consumers have advised that they only experience problems with response times during peak periods for aircraft arrivals. Meetings have been held between T&W, THS and taxi operators in an attempt to resolve problems in relation to poor response times and non-availability of vehicles. Measures to ensure sufficient proportion accessible: Taxi operators in the NT currently receive the following incentives to provide wheelchair accessible vehicles: half price annual licence fees ($8,000 instead of $16,000); the right to charge a minimum fare of $10 in a wheelchair accessible taxi for clients using taxi vouchers. The consumer is allowed to pay 75% of the minimum fare using vouchers to compensate for the additional cost; and operators are allowed to purchase older vehicles as long as they meet relevant standards. As well as these regulatory concessions, THS pays operators a 10% administration fee when they submit taxi vouchers for reimbursement. THS recently increased the number of taxi vouchers that consumers may use each year, thus increasing the level of income available to the taxi industry. License conditions for wheelchair accessible vehicles require operators/drivers to give priority to wheelchair bookings. It is interesting to note that owners of wheelchair accessible taxis are paying their drivers the same rate as drivers of non-wheelchair accessible vehicles, despite the fact that owners receive concessions through reduced licence fees, minimum fares, cheaper vehicle purchase prices etc. Proportion of taxi fleets accessible: There are currently 300 taxis, private hire cars and mini buses licensed in the NT. Ten of these vehicles are wheelchair accessible (7 in Darwin, 2 in Alice Springs and 1 in Katherine). This equates to 3.3% of the total number of commercial passenger vehicles, with a ratio of 1 accessible vehicle for every 21 members of the Taxi Subsidy Scheme who need to use a wheelchair accessible vehicle. Are these proportions sufficient: The number of wheelchair accessible vehicles in the three major urban centres of the NT compares very favourably with the numbers in the Melbourne Metropolitan area, which has a ratio of 1 accessible taxi for every 64 people in wheelchairs. The NT also has a higher ratio than most other jurisdictions. Given that we have a higher ratio of wheelchair accessible vehicles, the problems relating to response times and availability of vehicles obviously requires further investigation. Information available from discussions that have already taken place with consumers and the taxi industry point clearly to the need for more effective use of available vehicles. The most effective option would be to have a fleet of wheelchair accessible taxis available solely for wheelchair bookings. However, the cost to government would be prohibitive. Economic factors Taxi operators, particularly in Darwin, contend that the following economic factors impact on their ability to provide wheelchair accessible vehicles: lower profits overall as a result of de-regulation of industry by the NT Government; lower profits creating difficulties in recruiting drivers, particularly for wheelchair accessible taxis; and no incentives for drivers to drive these taxis. The low level of business that would flow from the small numbers of wheelchair users in regional centres prohibits taxi operators from purchasing and operating wheelchair accessible vehicles. In Katherine, a regional centre with a population of around 10,000, this problem has been addressed by a local Non Government provider of disability services. The organisation has purchased a wheelchair accessible vehicle, and has licenced it as a “special passenger vehicle” that can carry persons for hire and reward on the basis of prearranged bookings only. However, this does not assist people using wheelchairs who may need to travel on an ad hoc basis or in emergency situations. Effective use of accessible fleets Earlier in this submission information was provided about meetings that have been held between consumers, operators and the two Government departments that have responsibility for wheelchair accessible transport and provision of services for people with disabilities Information available from discussions that have already taken place with consumers and the taxi industry point clearly to the need for more effective use of the available vehicles. It is planned that regular meetings be held and refocussed to address broader transport issues for people with disabilities as well as the issue of wheelchair accessible taxis. 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