Australians with disabilities are being locked out of rideshare services by outdated state government subsidy schemes that, with reforms, could help more people travel independently.
Organisations including Vision Australia and Carers Australia will call for change to the programs when they present the findings from a national trial at NSW Parliament House on Thursday.
The research of discounted rideshare schemes, commissioned by Uber, follows years of advocacy for changes to state-based transport subsidies, and comes five years after the Victorian government extended its program.
The study, prepared by disability inclusion consultancy Get Skilled Access, recruited 148 people with disabilities to test discounted rideshare services over 12 weeks.
Participants were given in-app vouchers equivalent to existing taxi subsidy schemes in their states and territories, and took 3585 Uber rides over the trial period, or an average of 11 rides a month.
The study found participants took more trips during weekday peak hours and significantly more trips on Saturdays than they did under the taxi scheme, indicating a rise in travel for employment, education and social purposes.
More than one in three participants used both taxis and rideshare options during the trial period (40 per cent), most said accessing the subsidy was easier through the Uber app (92 per cent), and most reported they could take the trips they needed (82 per cent).
The results proved state governments should expand transport subsidies to encompass more options, Vision Australia advocacy general manager Chris Edwards said, as the group had argued for eight years.
“We think someone with a disability should have the same choice around what type of vehicle they use to move around,” he said.
“Our own research shows about 60 per cent of people would travel more if the taxi subsidy was opened up to rideshare.”
Extending taxi subsidies, which cover half the cost of rides for eligible users, should be simple, Uber Australia and New Zealand general manager Emma Foley said, and had the potential to benefit a large group of people.
“This isn’t a controversial change – it’s got really broad support from people in the disability community, the advocacy organisations in the disability space that we’ve worked with, but also from the general public,” she said.
“We’re hopeful that they’re going to be able to make that change this year.”
Sydney-based lawyer Scott Erichsen, who is blind and uses a guide dog, said using rideshare services in the trial helped him take more short and long trips, including visits to the vet down the road and his family on the northern beaches.
Being able to access rides quickly and track their progress in real time was useful, he said, although he would still choose taxis sometimes.
“There are times when taxis are convenient, there are times when Uber is convenient … but the fact that this trial made everything so much more affordable for me was the most exciting part,” he said.
“I was just sad that it ended.”