29 November 2017 – A Hamilton initiative aims to identify transport solutions so people with disabilities can access community life, reports Life Unlimited community liaison John McIntosh.
Life Unlimited and Hamilton City Council have hosted two workshops to gather data on public transport options for people living with a disability in Hamilton.
The central theme of the project was “people with a disability require transport solutions to live, work and play”.
The first workshop invited feedback from people living with a disability. The second involved representatives from a range of public transport providers in Hamilton including bus providers, taxi companies and Waikato Regional Council which runs the accessible BUSIT service and the Total Mobility scheme.
The draft report identified some important issues, including design features in some forms of public transport that are not suitable for people with disabilities and a lack of conveniently located bus stops.
The report also recommended gathering more data from a wider range of people living with a disability. This includes those people in Hamilton currently using public transport as well as those who may not be aware what is on offer. We need to know why people are not using the public transport options available, whether that’s accessible buses, taxis, taxi vans with hoists, companion driving services and health shuttles.
Life Unlimited will seek further feedback from public transport providers early in the New Year.
If you are a person with a disability and you live, work and play in Hamilton and feel your views would contribute to this project, please email [email protected] and we will contact you early in 2018 to find out what you think about transport options in the city.
Visit the Online Information Hub for articles about using public transport, finding help with transport costs and the Total Mobility scheme.
John McIntosh is one of the faces of Question Time, a series of fun and informative videos made in partnership between Life Unlimited and Attitude Pictures. Watch John’s video.
This story appeared in the Summer 2017 issue of our free disability e-newsletter Infolink. Read or sign up to receive Infolink here.
