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24 Aug 2012, 12.45PM

3 comments & replies |by REACH Administrator | Getting Around

Original thread created on 23 May 2012, 6.09PM

Title: MCYS to Give Grants for Wheelchair-Accessible Taxis

Wheelchair users may look forward to an alternative ride to replace the London cab when it phases out next March. According to a report by The Straits Times, the Ministry for Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) is offering grants to taxi operators to defray part of the operating cost for cabs that can accommodate larger and high-back motorised wheelchairs.

A MCYS spokesman explained that the grant would offset the COE premium and Additional Registration Fee of wheelchair-accessible taxis. The ministry will also reimburse the amount equivalent to the Quota Premium or Prevailing Quota Premium, which is the cost of renewing a COE, on the date of vehicle registration - whichever is lower. For a 30-vehicle fleet, the grant is projected to be about $3 million, elaborated the spokesman.

Presently, only 15 London cabs are available for use by these commuters. Initially, due to be phased out this year, the Government extended its lease by a year to assuage concerns from wheelchair users who rely on the London cabs to move around. The licenses for the London Cabs are expected to expire in March 2013.

With these grants, taxi operators are welcomed to submit their formal proposals for such taxi fleets before June 25 and MCYS hopes to see up to 30 of such vehicles available by next year. Announced by Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth & Sports, Mr Chan Chun Sing during a visit to the Society for the Physically Disabled (SPD) in Tiong Bahru on Tuesday, these grants are the first of its kind offered to encourage cab companies into providing such services here.

In addition to the grants, MCYS will also be working with the taxi operators to come up with a longer-term plan “whereby the service is more sustainable”.

How can we encourage taxi operators to provide a more sustainable service for wheelchair users? Share with us your thoughts!

Updated on 24 August 2012

Taxi operator SMRT has been awarded $3.1 million to operate 30 wheelchair accessible taxis for the disabled and elderly.

Thirty London cabs will be added to SMRT's fleet with the grant, with the first batch of 15 taxis to go on the road by March next year, before the phasing out of the existing London Cabs. The remaining 15 will be in service by next August.

Announcing the grant yesterday, the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) said users can expect greater convenience and service. One change is that the new cabs can be booked two days in advance, instead of at least three with the existing London cabs.

SMRT said the grant, which works out to around S$100,000 per taxi, will be a much-needed lifeline to absorb some of the costs involved, such as the Certificate of Entitlement (COE) and Additional Registration Fee (ARF), in purchasing the new vehicles.

Read the full report on channelnewasia.com "SMRT Taxis gets S$3.1m grant to operate wheelchair-accessible taxis".

What more can be done by operators and the authorities to alleviate transport concerns for the disabled and elderly in the long run?

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REACH Administrator

1 Jun 2012, 3.31PM

Dear Contributors,

We would like to share with you The Straits Times editorial “Helping the disabled go with the flow”. Besides the grants awarded by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports for taxi operators to run wheelchair-accessible taxis, the writer also shared other ideas to make public transport more accessible for the elderly and people with disabilities. These incude transport operators offering elder- and disabled-friendly vehicles as a social service, and developing apps that will allow disabled commuters to transmit their transport requests to private volunteer drivers or welfare and transport groups. Read more here.

Regards,
Ling (REACH Administrator)

Guest

24 May 2012, 9.53AM

It's a right step to go to provide grants for the purpose.

How can we encourage taxi operators to provide a more sustainable service for wheelchair users?

Basically is to meet demand with supply.

Someone should create a central portal for taking in demand/orders on the service from various organization or individual. Such demand is assumed to be more predictable and consistent.

Second is to take stock of operators who had taken the grant and keep track of the numbers of such vehicles and it's operational status. There is no point to acquire the vehicle but no one operating it and parking in the garage.

Third is to connect the demand to the the supply. Scheduling and make the information transparent. In this manner, the authority, operator, service user and driver of the vehicle have good idea and transparent on the demand and make adjustments.

Guest

30 May 2012, 10.39AM

This is another case of government throwing money at a problem and hope it will go away. Does the government know what it takes to drive a disabled wheelchair user around? Besides the taxi that can accomodate a large wheelchair, it should also have appropriate tie downs and seat belts that are crash tested. The driver must know how to bring the person and wheelchair into the taxi, ie he requires training. And possibly continous training as the techniques and availiable safety technology will continue to improve.

So if you "offset" the COE and ARF but will incur so many other charges, what do you think will happen. Profit making companies will cut cost and the quality will suffer. Also what is the cost of the ride. Many non disabled people cannot afford to take taxi everyday and are squeezing into buses and trains, what about people who cannot take a normal bus because of their big wheelchair.

I would suggest the government start will a fleet for this type of service under Caring fleet or something. They can provide the drivers with the necessary training and continous training to run such a fleet. When the fleet is stablilsed, private companies will be keen to run it. But the government must make sure that safety and competency standards are adhered to. Did the government also think of having a bus which can take in 20 wheelchairs run along the MRT lines. This would make it cheaper for wheelchair users so that they can take it to the nearest MRT and then change to taxi to get to their destination.

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