The NSW and ACT governments are facing renewed calls to make disability-friendly travel across the border easier. Photo: cait00sith/Envato.
A regional council is leading the push to close a loophole around accessible transport across the border.
The Taxi Subsidy Scheme (TSS) is a state- or territory-based system that helps meet the cost of taxi travel for people who have a disability and cannot use public transport.
At a recent meeting, Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council unanimously voted in favour of a motion that called on the NSW and ACT governments to meet the Cross-Border Commissioner so the scheme can operate interstate.
Councillor Ross Macdonald, who put forward the motion, said there were already limited disability-friendly transport options in the area.
“This has a serious impact on many residents of Queanbeyan-Palerang who rely on a wheelchair for mobility and limits their ability to travel within the local government area and to access specialist care within the ACT,” he wrote.
Both the NSW and ACT government websites for their versions of the scheme state that users must not be members of a similar scheme interstate.
During the discussion at the meeting, Cr Macdonald described the barrier as unnecessary red tape that limited disabled Queanbeyan residents’ options for moving around (including into the ACT) for appointments and errands.
“It’s rather bureaucratic that there is a subsidy scheme … which operates in NSW or in the ACT, but not bilaterally,” he said.
“For a person who might have specialist needs in the ACT [and has] to be picked up from their home in Queanbeyan and taken to the ACT, the [subsidy] does not pay out.”
A staff response to his motion, included in the council’s meeting documents, stated that the previous work on the issue included negotiations so operators could work interstate.
“A new operator has applied for a Wheelchair Accessible Taxi (WAT) licence in Queanbeyan, and discussions are underway to ensure the operator can also operate in the ACT under a special jurisdiction agreement,” the documents state.
“Confirmation from the ACT Government is awaited before NSW can issue the licence plates, with a resolution expected soon.”
In response to questions from Region, an ACT Government spokesperson said discussions about specific solutions were ongoing.
“The ACT Government and NSW Government are working together to achieve a satisfactory outcome.”
The spokesperson said that while the ACT scheme did not cover interstate travel, Canberrans could request an interstate voucher before their trip.
During the QPRC meeting, Cr Macdonald said the topic had been discussed “ad nauseam for years”, with little progress.
“I appreciate those comments [on past advocacy efforts] … but [they] start and then they fail.”
The QPRC staff response also raised the “declining and ageing WAT fleet in the ACT” as a concern for the future provision of the service, while Cr Macdonald said there were limited drivers offering accessible transport in the broader Queanbeyan area.
The ACT Government spokesperson said 31 wheelchair-accessible taxi licences were available in the Territory, with 24 being active as of 19 September.
A Transport for NSW spokesperson said discussions were continuing to improve cross-border services for Queanbeyan residents, who were among the more than 23,000 active participants in the scheme.
“Taxi Transport Subsidy Scheme (TTSS) participants can definitely use either NSW dockets or interstate dockets when travelling between NSW and the ACT,” they said.
Original Article published by Claire Sams on About Regional.
