News
New South Wales transport users with disability will be pleased to learn that taxi providers who refuse to accept fares from passengers using the Taxi Transport (TTSS) Subsidy Scheme could now face up to $3000 in fines.
The NSW Government has announced that providers that refuse TTSS passengers will face financial penalties. Vision Australia, the peak advocacy body for people who are blind or have with low vision, says it hopes the proposed legal repercussions will help put an end to such refusals.
Vision Australia Lead Policy Advisor, Bruce Maguire, explains that the blind community often relies on point-to-point transport such as taxis to be active and independent members of the community and the TTSS is designed to alleviate the financial burden.
It has become more and more common for taxi providers to refuse to accept the TTSS as part-payment of fares when there is really no reason to do so. Drivers still receive the full fare if a passenger uses the TTSS and a refusal to accept such a fare only hurts the passenger who may have no other way of travelling.
Bruce Maguire
The TTSS provides eligible people with a subsidy of 50% of a taxi fare, up to a maximum subsidy of $60. The subsidy is paid to the taxi provider at the end of the trip, with the passenger paying the rest of the fare.
“We know from the experience of people who travel with Seeing Eye Dogs or other dog guides who are often illegally refused from travelling in taxis, that seeking enforcement against driver and providers can be an onerous process that often leads nowhere,” Bruce explains.
Last year saw a crack down on such activity, where major transport company 13Cabs rolled out a policy dedicated to ensuring passengers with assistance animals would not be refused transport based on their accessibility requirements.
The company’s Chief Operating Officer, Olivia Barry, explained that trips are monitored via devices which remind drivers of their obligation to passengers. She believes everyone deserves to travel with dignity.
The rules have always been there, but the enforcement across the industry hasn't always matched the severity of the offence
Olivia Barry
Mr Bruce, the Vision Australia Lead Policy Advisor, says stronger regulation around the TTSS is very much welcome, and is interested to know how the fines will work in practice.
“Fines are only effective if they can be enforced and we hope the Government will also improve that process.”