2. Total Mobility scheme

The Total Mobility scheme provides a subsidised taxi service to people with serious mobility constraints by way of taxi vouchers that provide a discount of 50 percent off the normal taxi fare. It also provides funding to help purchase and install wheelchair hoists in taxi vans. The scheme is funded in partnership by local and central government. Local government (usually regional councils) manage and operate the scheme in most regions.

The provision of the scheme is consistent with the Land Transport Management Act 2003, which requires local government to consider the needs of transport-disadvantaged people when preparing any land transport programme.

Total Mobility review

The NZTS was released in 2002 and outlines the government's five key objectives for transport. Improving access and mobility is one of these objectives. The NZTS included an undertaking by the government to review and reform the Total Mobility scheme.

Transfund New Zealand (now Land Transport NZ) undertook an initial review of the scheme in 2002 as part of the Passenger Transport Social Services Review. The findings (Transfund New Zealand, 2003) identified the following key concerns with the scheme:

• significant regional variations in the way the scheme is being operated have resulted in inequalities regarding eligibility and entitlement
• the scheme is restricted to areas with access to buses, trains and ferries
• there are issues relating to scheme administration and transport providers.

The Ministry of Transport led the second stage of the review in 2005. This stage sought to:

• address the issues identified above
• improve alignment with the NZTS
• identify options to improve the scheme's adequacy, consistency, portability, sustainability and coverage.

Key recommendations

The following key recommendations were made in the Ministry of Transport's 2005 review and agreed to by government:

Purpose

• The purpose of the Total Mobility scheme must be nationally agreed on and applied, and the role of local authorities that provide the scheme must be supported and strengthened.

Eligibility

• The current regional inconsistency in determining scheme eligibility is unfair. Therefore, eligibility criteria should be agreed on and applied nationally.

Entitlement

• All local authorities should use a transparent and consistent method for making entitlements. These entitlements should be adequate to meet the needs of users.

Assessment

• Contracts should be entered into between assessment agencies and local authorities to ensure high-quality and consistent assessments.
• Local authorities should contribute financially to the cost of assessments.
• Individuals should not be required to become members of assessment agencies in order to be assessed.

Transport operators

• Contracts should be entered into between local authorities and transport operators.
• For each trip using a wheelchair hoist, transport operators should receive a flat payment in addition to the fare.
• An appropriate safety regime for wheelchair hoists should be established.

Increase in government funding

• The financial assistance rate (FAR) should be increased to 50 percent in 2005/06 for local authorities that implement the first phase of these improvements and do not reduce their level of funding below 2005/06 levels.
• The FAR should be increased to 60 percent in 2006/07 for local authorities that implement the second phase of these improvements and do not reduce their level of funding below 2005/06 levels.