TAXIS — REGIONS — WHEELCHAIR ACCESS
1273. Hon SOPHIA MOERMOND to the Leader of the House
representing the Minister for Transport:
I refer the minister to the
regional wheelchair-accessible vehicle taxi grant scheme, which is a program
with an annual pool of $260 000 to establish accessible wheelchair taxi
services in towns where there are none at present.
(1) How many
regional areas that previously did not have wheelchair-accessible taxi services
are now part of the scheme?
(2) How much of
the funding has so far been made accessible to taxi providers to ensure this
urgently needed service to regional areas?
Hon SUE
ELLERY replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1)–(2) Broome
was chosen to pilot the regional wheelchair-accessible vehicle taxi service
grant scheme due to its lack of an existing
wheelchair-accessible vehicle taxi service and its popularity as a tourism
destination. Expressions of interest for grants recently closed and the
submissions that were received are currently being evaluated.