Member Feedback Sought:   Third Review of the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002 (Transport Standards)

Background

The Commonwealth Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities is conducting the third review of Disability Standards for accessible public transport.  An issues paper and terms of reference have recently been released.

The purpose of the Transport Standards is to support public transport operators and providers to remove discrimination from public transport services by providing specific details about the standards they need to meet. The Standards are required to be reviewed every five years.

The Transport Standards are informed by the following Conventions and legislative and policy framework:

  • United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
  • National Disability Strategy
  • The Disability Discrimination Act 1992
  • The Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002
  • The Disability (Access to Premises-Building) Standards

Issues Paper and Terms of Reference

The Issues Paper sets out some of the considerations transport operators and providers, governments, the disability sector and the public may wish to take into account in making a written submission to the Review.

The Review of the Transport Standards has the following Terms of Reference:

  1. As required by Part 34 of the Transport Standards, the 2017 Review will review the efficiency and effectiveness of the Transport Standards and will:
    • assess whether discrimination has been removed, as far as possible, according to the requirements for compliance set out in Schedule 1 of the Transport Standards; and
    • advise on any necessary amendments to the Transport Standards.
  2. The review will focus on:
    • reporting public views on progress towards achievement of targets set out in the Transport Standards;
    • assessing compliance with the requirements set out in Schedule 1 of the Transport Standards, in particular those under Part 3 of Schedule 1;
    • identifying initiatives and actions with respect to removing discrimination from public transport services undertaken by state and territory governments since the 2012 Review; and
    • assessing the progress of the implementation of the response to the 2012 Review.

Submissions

Tell your Public Transport story

QDN encourages members to make individual submissions to the Transport Standards review or inform QDN’s submission (see more information on both options below). As part of having a say, QDN encourages all members to share your individual story of using public transport – this does not need to be long. In sharing your story, you may wish to think about the following questions:

  • Where has public transport worked well?
  • Where has public transport not worked well?
  • Why?
  • What needs to be done to fix it?

See an example public transport story below:

Jane’s Public Transport story

I catch a train to work three days a week.  The train is 10 minutes away from my house. I use bike paths to travel to the station in my power chair from my house. For the most part this works well.  However sometimes the lifts at my station are not working due to maintenance or mechanical failure. This is frustrating and costly as this makes me late for work as I either need to get a maxi taxi to work or travel 20 minutes in the opposite direction to get to an accessible bus stop. An SMS messaging system that alerts me and other users in the area ahead of time if the lift is not working would be a useful strategy to address this issue and would enable me to make an alternative plan to get to work

Have a say about the Third Review of the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002 (Transport Standards):

You can have your say about this policy in two ways:

A: Lodge an individual submission:

Submissions can address the questions listed below. Members wishing to submit individual submissions are requested to lodge them:

Road Safety Policy and Transport Standards Section
Land Transport Policy and Safety Branch
Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities
GPO Box 594
CANBERRA ACT 2601

All submissions will be treated as public documents and made available on the review website unless:

  • the documents are clearly marked as being provided ‘IN CONFIDENCE’; or
  • the Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities determines that the documents contain private or confidential information.

Please note: Copies of all submissions will be provided to the Attorney-General’s Department.

B: Inform QDN’s submission:

QDN is submitting a response to this Review and is seeking member feedback.

QDN is asking members to share their individual stories of using public transport (see above) and/ or give their feedback to the questions set out in the Review Questions set out below by Thursday, 15 November, 2018.

If you have any questions about the Transport Standards Review or would like assistance to give your feedback, please call Karin on 1800363783 or email kswift@qdn.org.au

Review Questions

Questions for people with a disability, their representative organisations and the community generally.

  1. Has your accessibility to public transport improved since the commencement of the second Transport Standards review in 2012?
  • How has your accessibility to conveyances changed? (for example, trains, buses and coaches, trams, ferries, wheelchair accessible taxis and aircraft). Can you provide examples?
  • How has your accessibility to information (for example, maps, timetables, announcements) changed? Can you provide examples?
  • How has your accessibility to infrastructure immediate to boarding a conveyance changed? (for example, any structure or facility that is used by passengers in conjunction with travelling on a public transport service). Can you provide examples?
  • What do you currently see as the greatest areas of need with regard to accessibility of public transport for people with disability? Can you provide specific examples?
  1. As a public transport user, are there areas of the Transport Standards where you consider that a more specific requirement for compliance would improve accessibility?
  2. To what extent do you feel that the requirements in the Transport Standards address all of the accessibility requirements for people with disability? Are there gaps in the coverage of requirements?
  3. Have new ways of providing public transport, such as ride sharing or on-demand bus services affected your ability to access services?
  4. Do you find that the current processes with regard to making a complaint or seeking information are sufficient or sufficiently responsive?
  5. As a body representing the views of people with disability, do you have any specific responses or perspectives with regard to the issues raised in the questions above?
  6. What other issues would you like to see addressed?

Additional to feedback on this section of the Discussion Paper concerning the experience of people with disability, QDN is also seeking member feedback on the following:

  • How well have operators and providers of public transport met their obligations to the Standards?
  • Can you think of specific examples or initiatives where operators and providers removed discrimination against people with disability?
  • Are there any initiatives and actions the State government has undertaken in relation to removing discrimination from public transport services? Can you provide details?

Many thanks for providing your feedback to inform QDN’s response to the Third Review of the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002 (Transport Standards)

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *