South Australia running late on accessible taxi overhaul

24 February 2022

With the state election looming, Purple Orange is calling on the next South Australian Government to overhaul unreliable access taxi services and improve outcomes for people living with disability.

Currently there are 101 access taxi licences in South Australia, an increase of just one in the last ten years, despite long wait times and a significant number of accessible bookings being declined by operators each year.

‘In its most recent Annual Report, the Department of Infrastructure and Transport recognised that access taxi passengers waited more than 30 minutes for late pre-booked pick-ups on 5,100 occasions during the last financial year,’ Robbi Williams, Purple Orange CEO, said.

‘Many access taxi licences are either not in operation or the vehicles are only on the road for a limited time, making it extremely difficult for those needing transport in peak times. Uber Assist and Uber WAV services are also unavailable in SA, compounding the problem.’

Belle Owen, a disabled woman and power wheelchair user, says the unreliability of access taxi services greatly impacts her life.

‘Without accessible transport people are cut off from vital services, such as healthcare, and become isolated from their communities.

‘Late and inconsistent services reduce my ability to be a reliable, punctual employee and attend essential health appointments. It also makes it hard to socialise with friends because too often I’m left stranded, feeling unsafe, and unable to get home with no alternative.

‘I have travelled the world and seen other systems that work well, so I know we can do better. A complete overhaul is overdue. No more bandaids or small fees to incentivise drivers to cover jobs that don’t seem lucrative. We simply need more accessible options on the road.’

Since 1 May 2017, taxi and ride-sourcing service passengers have paid a $1 Point to Point Transport Service Transaction Levy on all journeys beginning in the metropolitan area.

In 2016, the Weatherill Government indicated this would raise $80 million over ten years, however journey data provided by the Department suggests revenue is significantly higher.

‘The purpose of the $1 levy when it started was to legalise Uber, compensate taxi licence owners for lost value, and invest in the future development of the sector. The compensation has

already been paid and although revenue has surpassed predictions, no new initiatives of comparable size have been announced for this ongoing revenue stream of at least $8 million, and possibly as much as $12 million, per year,’ Mr Williams said.

‘Purple Orange has modelled a 50 per cent co-contribution grant scheme like that currently offered to taxi licence owners in Queensland to purchase new fully accessible vehicles. For less than $7 million a year our state could provide grants of up to $45,000 each, based on a cost per vehicle and fittings of $90,000, and achieve a fully accessible taxi fleet within a decade.

‘We are calling on the next South Australian government to use the levy funds to underpin an investment in an accessible transport service that meets the needs of all South Australians and visitors by providing:

• a 50 per cent co-contribution grant scheme for the purchase of new accessible vehicles and fittings to achieve a fully accessible taxi fleet by 2032
• additional education, training, and awareness initiatives for all on-demand drivers to improve customer experiences
• one set of regulations that apply to all on-demand drivers to enhance safety and amenity of vehicles, and
• new interim transparency measures for access taxi users to view real-time service information, such as the number of vehicles operating and people waiting.

 

‘Committing to a fully accessible taxi fleet by 2032 won’t just benefit the disability community. It will give the state a significant competitive advantage in the tourism market, cater to the transport needs of our ageing population, and be flexible enough to evolve as new greener vehicle options become available in the future.’

 

Media Enquiries

Lana Thrupp
Phone: 0408 831 914
Email: lanat@purpleorange.org.au