Page 1041 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 30 March 2011

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Question so resolved in the negative.

Taxis—wheelchair accessible

MS BRESNAN (Brindabella) (12.03): I seek leave to move the amended motion circulated in my name.

Leave granted.

MS BRESNAN: I move:

That this Assembly:

(1) notes:

(a) that for many people with disabilities, Wheelchair Accessible Taxis (WATs) are their main source of transportation;

(b) that access to transportation is an important element to ensuring social inclusion;

(c) that in March 2000 the ACT government released An Action Plan for Accessible Public Transport in Canberra, which recommended that the level of service for WATs should be at least equivalent to that of taxis for ordinary telephone bookings;

(d) that the ACT government has commissioned reviews into WATS in 2000, 2005, 2007 and 2010;

(e) that long waiting times and lack of vehicle availability continue to be a problem for WATs patrons, despite the information and recommendations from previous reviews;

(f) that a large number of current WATs are smaller vehicles which are unsuitable for the majority of wheelchairs, and that these vehicles subsequently transport few passengers with wheelchairs; and

(g) that the current large number and level of WATs subsidies has not resulted in a reliable service;

(2) calls on the government to:

(a) undertake a cost analysis of the current subsidies compared to the cost of a dedicated service with salaried drivers;

(b) develop a plan to introduce a dedicated WATs service with salaried drivers that would only service people with disabilities who need WATs;

(c) develop a timeline for the introduction of the dedicated WATs service, and targets for timeliness and satisfaction with the service; and

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