For people who are blind or have significant vision loss, taxis are a non-optional cost of independence. They provide a crucial link to maintaining employment, gaining an education, and participating in recreational, sporting and other community activities.
Today, Vision Australia congratulates the Baird Government on a long awaited increase to the Taxi Transport Subsidy Scheme (TTSS). The subsidy increase will make taxis more affordable and subsequently increase independence for people who are blind.
This is the first time the NSW subsidy has been increased in over 15 years and during that time there have been multiple taxi fare increases.
As part of the NSW Government’s response to the Point to Point Transport Review Minister Contance has announced that the Government will raise the Taxi Transport Subsidy Scheme (TTSS) cap from $30 to $60 to improve affordability for customers.
The Taxi Transport Subsidy Scheme (TTSS) provides support to people with a disability to access vital services and appointments, thereby facilitating independent living. The service is indispensable in rural and remote communities where public transport options are extremely limited.
Future reforms must include replacing paper vouchers with an electronic card payment system to improve ease of use, cut waste, and reduce potential for fraud. And the TTSS should be expanded to other point to point transport modes such as Uber.
Michael Simpson, Vision Australia's General Manager of NSW Client Services and Accessible Information Services, who has been blind for 40-years, said:
“People who are blind or have low vision are unable to drive and often rely on taxis for their independence.”
“This announcement is fantastic news for our community and the result of a long campaign.”
Vision Australia advocated strongly for this increase and in the lead up to this year’s NSW election Vision Australia recommended a rise to the subsidy should be an election priority and it was a key point in our submission to the Point to Point Transport review.