Trapped at home or stranded outside for hours. People in wheelchairs are increasingly having these degrading experiences in New South Wales. New data shows the number of accessible taxi’s is dwindling and the state government has flagged reform, but action has already been delayed.
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00:00Leaving home is a gamble for Pauline David.
00:06I'm a bit worried that if I go out I might not be able to get a taxi back home.
00:10Sometimes she waits hours for a cab.
00:13I'll book tickets to go to different events and things and I'm always late.
00:19The Sydney woman has been stuck outside long afterwards.
00:23I've been in the rain a few times as well.
00:26Once she slept in her chair all night at her mother's house when the taxi home never turned up.
00:31My legs were so sore and very swollen.
00:34In October 2019 there were 941 wheelchair accessible taxis registered in NSW.
00:41Now there are only 635. That's a drop of 32%.
00:46We are stopping because we don't have enough work.
00:49Able people, they don't like those big vans.
00:51We're seeing this issue even compounded in regional and remote towns
00:54where some towns in particular have no taxis at all.
00:59The $15 incentive payment for carrying a wheelchair passenger has not risen in eight years.
01:05We believe that that fee should double.
01:07Whilst accessible taxi licences remain free, the cost saving has evaporated due to deregulation.
01:14A regular taxi licence used to cost thousands of dollars a year to lease.
01:19Now they're available for a $200 application fee.
01:22Unfortunately that gap has really closed today.
01:26The taxi industry wants interest free loans and grants for the $100,000 vehicles.
01:32The government has held a series of meetings with the taxi industry and disability advocates.
01:37In a letter seen by the ABC, the Transport Minister has flagged legislative and financial reform.
01:43She says a report on the matter will be released in the coming weeks.
01:46You're having to fight for things that other people take for granted.
01:51A basic freedom increasingly inaccessible.