Access Taxis

The Hon. J.S. LEE (14:57): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure regarding changes to Access Taxis' bookings.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.S. LEE: Advocacy organisations and disability community members have voiced frustration over a recent Access Taxis policy, removing the option for passengers to request specific drivers. Intended to improve efficiency, the change has instead increased anxiety, reduced confidence and discouraged vulnerable users from accessing the transport.

The system is described as unreliable and unsafe, with missed bookings for essential medical appointments. South Australia's monopoly structure offers no competition to drive improvements, and drivers themselves have warned it is penalising those drivers who have good relations with the customer and who really look after the customer.

Other evidence shows that there has been an impact on multicultural community members, as elderly users prefer the drivers who can speak their language. The previous minister acknowledged Access Taxis as an essential public service, yet the system continues to fail those who rely on it most. The lack of consultation and broader impacts on social inclusion and NDIS costs raise serious concerns about the system's inclusivity, reliability and value. My questions to the minister are:

1. Can the minister confirm what consultation was undertaken with Access Taxis users and drivers prior to the decision to remove driver selection and whether any assessment has been made of the impact this change has had on wait times and service reliability for people with disabilities?

2. Will the government commit to reviewing the policy and design improvements in collaboration with end users to ensure safety, reliability and trust in the system?

3. Given the ongoing dissatisfaction and lack of competition in the sector, does the minister accept that the government's approach has failed in delivering a responsive and inclusive transport system for people with disabilities?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Autism) (15:00): I thank the honourable member for her question, and I agree it is a really important question to be asking about access cabs. They are there to, as a primary purpose of their licensing, support the people who are most vulnerable in our community, who require an access cab. That is why, as we have heard, the state government has taken action to help ensure Access Taxis do turn up when they should, by banning preferential bookings from May of this year.

This was done because, like many people in this chamber and probably the other chamber, people were hearing about people putting a request in and not being picked up, because people were having to travel from the other side of town to be able to get to that job to pick them up. Sometimes, because we didn't have at that point the banning of preferential taxis, there could have been a taxi closer, but they had gone to a different service instead.

What we have seen since this system has come into play is that there has been a better service. If there are people—and I really do appreciate this, particularly putting on my other hat as the Minister for Autism—who really do have a preference for a particular driver, they can request that and go through the process, but what we can't have is people not getting picked up and only a few of those people in the community getting those jobs allocated to them.

Now that we have made it that you can't have preferential bookings, those callouts are going to everyone in the network at that time. This is a change. At this point in time, we are noticing that it is having a positive impact for the people who need it. Just as I have with the Taxi Council, I have been working with access cabs to hear their stories and figure out what we can be doing here. We know that access cabs in particular are unique in South Australia. They do have a niche part of the market in the fact that they are able to go and support the most vulnerable. I am more than happy to keep working with them. I have been working with them over the last few weeks. I have learnt a lot from them, and I will continue to do so.