The purpose of this policy guide is to achieve a nationally consistent approach for local authorities to administer the Total Mobility scheme in their respective regions.
This guide sets out the requirements, policy, principles, processes and explanatory notes to manage the Total Mobility scheme.
About Total Mobility
Funded in partnership by local and central government, the Total Mobility scheme assists eligible people, with long term impairments to access appropriate transport to meet their daily needs and enhance their community participation. This assistance is provided in the form of subsidised door to door transport services wherever scheme transport providers operate.
The Total Mobility scheme is intended to complement the provision of public transport services, which are expected to be as accessible as possible to meet different mobility needs.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency first published a policy guide for local authorities in 2008 and a user guide in 2010.
For the user guide:
Total Mobility around New Zealand: a regional guide to using the Total Mobility scheme
The role of the assessment facilitator is to ascertain eligibility for the Total Mobility scheme. The role is one of guiding and assisting, then confirming that the information given by the prospective client is accurate.
The role of the assessment facilitator helps to ensure that people who meet the eligibility criteria for Total Mobility get access to Total Mobility trips appropriate to their needs.
The following guiding principles underpin the role of the Total Mobility assessment facilitator:
A key role for the Total Mobility assessment facilitator is to work with the prospective Total Mobility client to determine whether that person meets the eligibility criteria for the Total Mobility scheme.
The eligibility criteria adopted by the government in August 2005 (MoT, 2005) are now in effect. If a prospective Total Mobility user meets these eligibility criteria, they must be recognised and accepted as eligible. Eligibility then entitles the client to receive subsidised transport assistance via the Total Mobility scheme.
It should be noted that Total Mobility assistance will not be provided for travel that is already funded. Scenarios involving part or full funding from other sources may be as follows (all examples are for people who meet the eligibility criteria for Total Mobility):
Note: people who are currently on the Total Mobility scheme do not need to have their eligibility reassessed, although Councils may choose to reassess to ensure the effectiveness of the service being provided.
Phase 1, improvement 4 states:
All of the components of the journey are of equal importance. If one link is broken or inadequate, the whole journey becomes impractical. If a person has an impairment that prevents them from being able to undertake any one of the specified components of a journey, they are eligible for Total Mobility.
It is expected that the 'assessment' will mainly consist of going through the criteria with the prospective client (or, in some instances, with the aid of an authorised representative).
Note: a medical certificate is not required to establish eligibility for Total Mobility, and should not be required as part of the eligibility assessment. It is not the impairment itself that determines eligibility, but whether the impairment prevents the prospective client from undertaking the journey. However, if the impairment is not clearly evident to the assessment facilitator, then a medical certificate may be requested.
If the person has an impairment that prevents them from undertaking any one or more of the above components of the journey, unaccompanied, in a safe and dignified manner, then they are eligible.
The Total Mobility application form has the following checklist of the journey components.
Checklist from Total Mobility application form
| Are you able to complete the following tasks? | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Get to the place where the transport departs | ||
| Get on to the transport | ||
| Ride securely | ||
| Get off the transport | ||
| Get to the final destination point |
If there is a tick in any of the 'No' boxes, then the person is eligible for Total Mobility, provided that their travel is not already funded.
Note: being able to drive a car (modified or unmodified) is irrelevant to eligibility for Total Mobility. Eligibility is specifically with respect to public transport. However, it is envisaged that being able to drive a car would have an impact on the required level of use of Total Mobility.
What happens if there is no public transport service?
Total Mobility may operate in areas that have taxis or Total Mobility transport operators but that do not have buses, trains or ferries. In the case of such areas without a public passenger transport system, eligibility can be determined with reference to hypothetical rather than actual journeys.
Hypothetical equivalents of the component steps of a journey may be:
In the event that hypothetical journeys are used, an uncomplicated commonsense approach should be able to ascertain eligibility.
Temporary vs permanent impairments
The assessment process will distinguish between permanent and temporary impairments. The Total Mobility application form includes the following:
| Your impairment is: | |
|---|---|
| Permanent | |
| Temporary (has lasted, or is likely to last, for six months or less) |
|
| Fluctuating (able to use the bus train or ferry services some, but not all of the time) |
|
| If your impairment is likely to be temporary, please indicate the period for which you consider yourself to be eligible for Total Mobility. | |
| Date: __________________________ (this will be your due date for reassessment) |
|
Reassessing a client's eligibility need happen only in the case of temporary/finite-term impairments. (The exception to this would be if significant changes to the transport services made the journey accessible.)
If a client has a permanent impairment, they should only be assessed once, unless there is a significant change in their condition that may affect their eligibility for Total Mobility.
In the case of temporary impairments, a timeframe for reassessment should be indicated, appropriate to the individual's circumstances. In some instances, the expected duration of the impairment may be difficult to predict, eg recovery from stroke or head injury. The due date for reassessment should be negotiated between the client and the assessment facilitator, with regard to what might reasonably be expected.
Six-month threshold
People who meet the criteria for the Total Mobility scheme and have an impairment that has lasted, or is expected to last, for six months or more should be eligible for the scheme.
Any client whose impairment is permanent and who meets the criteria is eligible for Total Mobility. Permanence will, by definition, meet the six-month requirement. The six-month threshold should be considered for any client with a temporary impairment.
The six-month period can be either retrospective (the impairment has already lasted for at least six months) or anticipated (the impairment is expected to last for at least six months).
It is important to note that this does not imply a six-month stand-down period before a person can become eligible for Total Mobility. A person who has an impairment that has already lasted for six months or more may be considered eligible (provided they meet the criteria). Whether the impairment is expected to last another six months is immaterial to the person's eligibility. Examples include:
Fluctuating need
People with impairments who meet the criteria for the Total Mobility scheme and are able to use bus, train or ferry services some of the time, but not all of the time, should be eligible for the scheme.
This is intended to cover situations where an impairment is fluctuating (eg epilepsy), or the impairment is constant and non-fluctuating but is affected by environmental changes (eg a visual impairment that makes independent travel at night very difficult).
This may also include people with impairments (such as Alzheimer's) that restrict travel on buses, trains or ferries to very familiar routes.
The fact that a person may be able to undertake all five journey components some (but not all) of the time does not therefore affect their eligibility.
Where practical, scheme users should be encouraged to use public transport.
Children
Children with impairments who meet the criteria for the Total Mobility scheme should be eligible for the scheme.
The Total Mobility scheme should be available to children to support their independent participation in the community, in ways that are similar to other children in their peer group who do not have impairments. This could include trips to visit friends or to see a movie. If the child's impairment prevents them from being able to use a bus, train or ferry, and it is reasonable to expect that children in their peer group can independently use such transport, then the child should be eligible for the scheme. Conversely, if the child is so young that other children in that age group would not be reasonably expected to independently use such transport, then the child would not be within the scope of the Total Mobility scheme. There should not be a set age cut-off for eligibility.
It is not intended that the scheme should be a substitute for transport services that are the responsibility of other government agencies, such as the Ministry of Education, which is responsible for all school-related travel.
Where people live
People with impairments who meet the criteria for the Total Mobility scheme and live in residential care should be eligible for the scheme.
A person's place of residence is irrelevant to their eligibility for Total Mobility, whether it be a family home, a rest home, a residential facility or other.
People who live in residential care may have some of their transport needs met by the residential care provider, eg rest home providers are responsible for meeting the cost of transport of residents for stipulated health services (including needs assessment and service coordination services, laboratory services, radiological services, dental services, specialist medical services and podiatry services). If a person meets the criteria for Total Mobility and has a need for transport assistance that is not already being met, they are eligible to receive Total Mobility assistance. For example, Total Mobility should be available to people who live in rest homes to support their independent participation in the community, eg to visit friends or families, to attend appointments (other than those stipulated as the responsibility of the rest home provider), meetings or events, or to go shopping.
The self-assessed needs model for Total Mobility centres around the fact that each individual's need for trips is unique to them and their particular situation. The role of the 'assessor' is to guide the individual Total Mobility client through the process, and to help them request for a number of trips that realistically matches their need.
The purpose of travel is irrelevant to this entitlement.
Note: the assessment facilitator does not have a role in 'rationing' trips. The important thing is to have realistic requests, so that the client's request doesn't leave them in a position where they do not have enough trips. Neither should they end up with a surplus of allocated trips that they have no need for. If a 'rationing' step is required, it happens later in the process.
The allocation request form asks:
'What is the average number of one-way trips per month you would like to request for Total Mobility-assisted transport?'
It is very important to note that the request must be based on one-way trips.
The key question for the client is: Where do I need to travel (by taxi), and how often?
To ensure that nothing is overlooked, the following checklist may be useful:
After identifying the required number of one-way trips for all Total Mobility-assisted travel, work out the total for the month and enter this on the allocation request section of the application form.
Note
Mrs Smith is elderly and lives alone. Her visual impairment makes the use of public transport impossible, so she is eligible for Total Mobility support.
Mrs Smith's allocation request is for 57 trips per month, based on:
| One-way trips per week | One-way trips per month | |
|---|---|---|
| Volunteering at the local toy library one day per month | 2 | |
| Going to the supermarket once per week | 2 | 8 |
| Going to town for other shopping once a fortnight | 4 | |
| Going to the doctor once every two months | * | |
| Going to the specialist once a year | * | |
| Going to the podiatrist once every six months | * | |
| Visiting sister in rest home once a week | 2 | 8 |
| Visiting friends once a week on average | 2 | 8 |
| Going to housie once a week | 2 | 8 |
| Going to the Foundation of the Blind for club days once a month | 2 | |
| Going to church once a week | 2 | 8 |
| Subtotal | 48 | |
| Plus a trip to cover the less frequent trips (marked *) | 1 | |
| Total | 49 | |
| On top of this, Mrs Smith goes to watch netball twice a week in the winter months. This averages out at once a week (ie two one-way trips) over the whole year. | 2 | 8 |
| Grand total | 57 |
Ms Henry has a neurological impairment (epilepsy) that fluctuates. She usually travels by bus and train, but cannot securely do so on 'bad days'. The bad days are unpredictable, but average out at around one per month. Ms Henry's need for Total Mobility transport is to cover her bad days.
Ms Henry's allocation request is for 2 (one-way) trips per month.
Mr Donaldson lives in a rest home. The rest home provider is responsible for meeting the cost of Mr Donaldson's transport to most of his medical services. His need for Total Mobility transport is solely to enable him to visit his sister in a different rest home in the same city once a fortnight.
Mr Donaldson's allocation request is for 4 trips per month.
Mr Wilson is a young man who has a physical impairment and is eligible for Total Mobility support. He lives with his family.
Mr Wilson's allocation request is for 107 trips per month, based on:
| One-way trips per week | One-way trips per month | |
|---|---|---|
| Attending the local polytechnic every weekday | 10 | 40 (see note) |
| Going to the shops once per week | 2 | 8 |
| Going to the doctor once every six months | * | |
| Going to the dentist once a year | * | |
| Going to the physiotherapist once every month | 2 | |
| Visiting friends twice a week on weekdays | 4 | 16 |
| Visiting friends at weekends | 4 | 16 |
| Going out in evenings | 6 | 24 |
| Subtotal | 106 | |
| Plus trips to cover the less frequent trips (marked *) | 1 | |
| Total | 107 |
Note: if Mr Wilson receives other funding that covers his travel to and from polytechnic (eg Training Incentive Allowance), this travel would be excluded from the Total Mobility allocation request.
The Total Mobility application form is primarily focused on establishing:
Most of the questions in the application form are to get information about eligibility and the number of trips. Additional information about these issues is in the earlier part of this handbook.
This section is to ensure that assessors understand the purpose and relevance of the other questions in the application form. (Note: one of the guiding principles is that information will only be sought if it is directly relevant.)
Question 2: Which of these categories best describes the general nature of your impairment? (Physical, intellectual, psychological, sensory, neurological)
This question is asked for monitoring and planning purposes. The information is only used in aggregate, eg '25 percent of the Total Mobility clients in XX city have a sensory impairment'. Such information is useful for those delivering the Total Mobility service, eg for the training of taxi drivers operating the Total Mobility scheme. It is also useful for transport planning purposes, when the public transport planners work on making the public transport services more accessible.
Question 4: Do you require the use of a wheelchair-hoist taxi van?
Question 5: Would you be able to use low floor buses if they were available?
Question 7: Do you use any of the following mobility aids?
These questions are all useful for service planning purposes – both for public passenger transport (buses, trains, ferries) and for Total Mobility transport.
Question 6: Do you receive any transport-related financial assistance from any other official source?
This question relates firstly to eligibility, as Total Mobility assistance will not be provided for travel that is already funded from other sources. It may also have an impact on the allocation request, if some but not all travel is already funded.
