Looking to the Future - Total Mobility Scheme Review

The Total Mobility Scheme

6. LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

The New Zealand Transport Strategy outlines government's five objectives for transport, one of which is to improve access and mobility. This objective recognises the need for appropriate transport for all, including the transport impaired, in order to enhance participation and independence and reduce social exclusion. The Review of the Total Mobility Scheme, and the implementation of recommended improvements, will be a significant contribution towards the progress of this objective.

The Scheme in its present form, however, can never meet the transport needs of all those who may depend on its services. It will be necessary to explore options to improve the accessibility of mainstream public transport, and to develop other forms of specialised transport services that may be more cost effective and provide better coverage than the Scheme can achieve alone. Such services may assist in meeting the needs of any people who are transport disadvantaged, whether as a result of income, location, impairment or other reasons. It is likely that a continuum of different types of public transport services will be required to meet a diverse and wide range of transport needs (see Appendix 11).

Little is known about the current levels of access to transport and the extent to which access is adequate. In particular the level of access to transport by specific sub-population groups, especially the transport disadvantaged is unclear. Although there is a legal requirement that the "needs of transport disadvantaged must be considered", the term 'transport disadvantaged' has never been defined.⁵⁴

The extent to which access to transport is the human right of all New Zealanders, and the appropriate responsibility of the transport sector (and government), is an issue of current interest. The recently released Human Rights Commission Inquiry Report into Accessible Public Land Transport provides significant impetus for further work in this area. Many other countries are also alert to these issues.⁵⁵ Finland for instance, guarantees citizens access to safe, reasonably priced and high-quality transport.⁵⁶

Overall, there remains an outstanding need to develop a wider public transport policy framework for improving access and mobility for all New Zealanders. It should encompass the specific needs of people who are transport disadvantaged, and encourage the best mix of services to address their needs. It would also provide a firmer context for positioning the Total Mobility Scheme, in relation to other complementary transport services. The development of such a framework will be one of the next challenges for the future.


Footnotes
 

53. This is based on the fact that while there are approximately 43,000 members on the Scheme, this could potentially increase to108,000 eligible people. This is a very rough estimate based on data provided by Statistics New Zealand (see Appendix 8).
54. Land Transport Management Act 2003 requires that the "needs of transport disadvantaged must be considered" (sect 35).
55. For instance: Australia (Disability Discrimination Act 1992), the United States (Americans with Disabilities Act 1990), Britain (Disability Discrimination Act 1995), and Canada (National Transportation Act 1987).
56. An Evaluation of the Finnish Public Transport System: The Role of the Ministry of Transport and Communications. Paper commissioned by the Ministry of Transport and Communications, Finland, February 2003

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