Vision Australia today urged a Victorian Parliamentary hearing to implement regulations related to accessibility, fare subsidies and driver training to enable over 90,000 Victorians, who are blind or have low vision, to participate fully in the ridesharing economy.
Vision Australia Policy Advisor, Kate Begley made recommendations at the committee hearing which, if implemented, will provide the blindness and low vision community with a genuine choice of ridesharing operators they can confidently travel with.
“Point-to-point transport enables people who are blind or have low vision to live independently. There are a range of accessibility challenges experienced by the blindness and low vision community starting with the booking systems used by rideshare operators,” Ms Begley, who is legally blind, advised.
“We’ve argued that all booking platforms must be accessible in accordance with best practice guidelines so they are compatible with screen reading technology. For the majority of our community who do not use smartphone technology we further recommended that rideshare operators provide an alternative booking system.”
Figures show that many people who are blind or have low vision earn lower incomes and an estimated four out of five people who are legally blind rely heavily on subsidised transport services. In Victoria, the Multi-Purpose Taxi Program (MPTP) card assists with the cost of living but is only currently accepted in taxis.
“We urged the Government to extend the MPTP fare subsidy to all rideshare operators so people with vision impairment have choice and are on an equal footing with the rest of the community,” Ms Begley stated.
“Without accessible and affordable point-to-point transport members of our community are more likely to be isolated and disadvantaged in many aspects of life including employment and social inclusion.”
Vision Australia also advised the Committee that the rights of people who have Seeing Eye Dogs must be protected under ridesharing regulations. They argued drivers should undergo driver awareness training so they fully understand the laws that protect Seeing Eye Dog handlers when they are traveling with their dog.