The doubling of the taxi subsidy for disabled people is “a massive deal”, according to Unanderra’s Richard Kramer.
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Mr Kramer is a quadriplegic who relies on taxis as transport and the government’s Taxi Transport Subsidy Scheme supplies him with dockets to use on travel.
For 16 years, the subsidy remained unchanged at $30, while fares and other expenses rose.
But from July 1, the NSW government will double the subsidy to $60 – making longer trips possible.
“This is a massive deal for me,” Mr Kramer said.
“Now I can go further whereas before I was limited in terms of how far I could travel.
“I can go shopping in Shellharbour now whereas before that was out of my bounds unless I wanted to pay a lot more money.
“For me going out to Shellharbour from memory costs me about $60 one way. So that would cover my trip.”
Transport Minister Andrew Constance said the change is part of a suite of reforms that came out of the review of the point to point transport system.
“One of the clear winners of our point to point reforms are people with disability, with a comprehensive package to boost the supply of services and subsidies for customers to ensure their drivers get them from A to B safely,” Mr Constance said.
“Eligible TTSS customers will start to receive their new docket books in coming weeks, and be able to use them from July 1, doubling the cap to $60 on trips.”
The changes to be introduced also include an increase in the incentive payment for Wheelchair Accessible Taxi (WAT) drivers to pick up a disabled passenger from $7.70 to $15 per trip.
Mr Kramer said that could improve his chances of catching a taxi when he’s in Sydney.
“While I don’t have a problem down here, I do when I’ve been in Sydney, when I go away on respite and come back,” he said.
“My chair’s a big chair and so I need a larger vehicle. I have to wait forever to get a taxi. Now with the incentive they’ll have more inclination to come and get us straight away.”
The loan pool provided by the government to help purchase a new vehicle, or retrofit an existing one will also be boosted.
“We already know there’s an increase in demand for WAT licences from the industry, and with the new and improved $5 million loan pool, WAT providers can soon apply and start to plan for their new accessible taxi service,” Mr Constance said.
“From 1 July, the maximum interest-free loan of $30,000 will be increased to $100,000, and the pool of funds increased from $1 million to $5 million.”