Swipe cards in, taxi chits out for Mobility Scheme users

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

By local democracy reporter Lois Williams:

West Coasters with mobility problems will soon be able to use a swipe card for subsidised taxi trips, instead of paper vouchers.

The regional council, which administers the Total Mobility scheme on the Coast, is switching from taxi chits to a card system, bringing the region into line with the rest of the country.

More than 900 people on the West Coast are Total Mobility users.
The scheme is 75% subsidised by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), 20% by the regional council and the user pays the remainder, with a cap of $30 per trip.

A staff report to Tuesday's Resource Management Committee said the paper vouchers were outdated.

“The chit system is unreliable, difficult to administer, susceptible to fraud and poses problems for those who wish to travel between regions.”

Staff were proposing a change to a digital system, and contract with three companies to provide software, print the cards, and supply card readers for taxi companies as needed.

It would cost $35,000 to make the change but with NZTA subsidies of $21,500 the set-up cost to the regional council would be $14,354 plus GST.

The council’s ongoing costs with the new system would be an extra $3 per taxi trip - $1159 a year.

Council chairperson Peter Haddock told LDR the West Coast was one of only two Total Mobility operators in the country still using paper vouchers.

“The swipe card system brings us into line with most other regions and it’ll be more convenient for people with mobility challenges - and it’ll save our staff time and be lot easier to administer.”

CCS Disability Action’s West Coast manager, Kelly Blomfield, is welcoming the change.

“Having a card will make it much easier for our people, not having to trek back and forth to the council asking for vouchers when you can’t get around easily to start with.”

The cards had the approved user’s photo on them, making them much less vulnerable to fraud, Blomfield said.