Physical Disability Australia is deeply concerned with recent changes made by South Australia's Access Taxis and their new policy to remove customers' abilities to request specific drivers.
Our understanding behind this policy change is related to a lack of Access Cab drivers on the road when needed and a desire to share the load to ensure drivers have more reason to be working. However, we believe that this approach removes the choice and control of the person utilising the taxi service. It is an understandable fact that people utilise regular drivers because of a built rapport, trust and feelings of safety.
We believe that this situation reached a critical point when 11-year-old Oliver Sandy and his mum Jodie were left stranded and subsequently missed an important medical appointment at an Adelaide Hospital due to a lack of Access Taxis on the road, despite booking in advance.
Concerning feedback has been shared from within our community about how these changes have negatively impacted the lives of people with disabilities. Many disabled people feel less safe using taxi services due to the lack of choice and uncertainty about drivers. This apprehension has led to reduced willingness to access the community, attend events, or go to medical appointments. These reforms have contributed to increasing social isolation among disabled individuals, as the new system does not adequately account for their need for reliable and familiar transportation support.
To our knowledge, there was no consultation process offered to the users of Access Taxis or their drivers preceding this policy change. It is our understanding that many Access Taxis drivers are also unhappy with this policy change as decent drivers who have regular customers are now losing work. Additionally, non-verbal participants and their families are no longer comfortable with not knowing who their driver will be or the quality of service they or their loved ones will receive. They feel as though they must take support workers with them when using Access Taxis as a safeguarding mechanism. We believe that if this approach is widely utilised, it will result in increased cost to the NDIS which is not a viable outcome.
We have written to The Hon Emily Bourke MP (SA Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) and are calling for stronger training and upskilling requirements for all drivers on disability awareness and safety practices to ensure a consistent standard of service delivery.
Further recommendations from PDA:
- Investigate the impact of eliminating direct driver bookings on wait times for Access Taxis, specifically for people with disabilities.
- Assess whether this change has led to any improvements in service quality for these users.
- Explore alternative methods to expand and improve transport options for people with physical disabilities in South Australia.
- Undertake a review to improve the current experience of users of Access Taxis.
- Consider conducting a co-design development process involving people with disabilities who use these services daily, ensuring their feedback shapes service improvements.
- Improve the knowledge base of accessible taxi drivers and increase safeguarding measures so all members of the Community can feel confident in any drivers ability.
- Integrate these suggestions into the State Authority's Disability Access and Inclusion Plan, aligning with reporting requirements to the Department of Human Services.
- Ensure that all actions contribute to broader efforts in improving social inclusion for South Australians with disabilities.
PDA's CEO, Jeremy Muir, wants to see the South Australian Government, Access Taxis and those actually utilising disability transport work together to truly address the issues impacting safe, reliable and trusted service provision for the disability community. "People living with disabilities reliant on Access Taxis for inclusion and participation are sick and tired of being seen as second class citizens when it comes to accessible transport. Involving people with disabilities in both the conversation and problem solving will help to ensure that a fair and balanced outcome is achieved and that safety and trust of those accessing disability transport services are viewed as the priority."
The following individuals are
