“Public Transport: A Nightmare For People With Disability”

Most Australians do not have to do copious planning, when it comes to going from point A to point B. However for people with disability, it’s just not the case of looking up a timetable or ringing a taxi.

Regardless of type of disability , mode of transport or where they live, people with disabilities face many barriers when using public transport. This has created frustration, danger and extra costs for people just trying to simply go about their daily lives. Can you imagine how you would feel , if you were two hours late for a concert, because you had to wait a hour and a half for a taxi?

After receiving and sifting through hundreds of transport horror stories from people with disabilities, two things became clear.

The first was the scale of the issue: no matter the type of disability you have, where you live or the mode of transport you take, getting around is harder than it should be.

The second was that inaccessible public transport leaves the people who rely on it isolated and feeling like it's not worth trying to leave home at all if it means they could be left frustrated, lost, late or out of pocket.

Fed up with what they see as a lack of action, people with disability are taking matters into their own hands.

One of them is electrical engineer Santiago Velasquez, who is blind.

The Brisbane man has designed an app called Hailo, which he hopes can one day be widely used to help people with disability navigate transport independently.

Hailo allows commuters to notify a driver of their pick up and drop off locations, as well as any specific requirements such as the need for a ramp.

That information then goes to the driver via an alert so the user doesn't have to stress or advocate for themselves.

"I want people to be able to go anywhere, anytime, regardless of their abilities," Santiago says.

"We shouldn't have to rely on others to leave the house."

When you ask Santiago about his own transport mishaps, he can rattle them off like he's reading a shopping list.

"I've been left behind and my guide dog's paws were burning because it was such a hot day," he says.

"I've been dropped off in [the wrong place] and it took me three hours to get back home because it was 11pm and I needed to walk about 40 minutes to get to the next bus stop."

Santiago has also missed a number of important life events such as birthdays because of transport issues?— but the most frustrating incident was when he was late to a university exam after a bus driver failed to stop for him.

He wasn't allowed to sit the exam and had to repeat the subject the following year.

"I felt so angry ... I felt like my life was taken out of my control by a transport system that had been failing me for years."

Santiago recently went overseas on a coveted Churchill Fellowship to assess transport across the world. He presented his app to various organisations and is in talks about trials.

"Public transport should work for everybody — that's why it's public transport," he says.

Advocates say while it's great to see people with disability driving much-needed change, it should be politicians and transport services doing the heavy lifting.

Richard Witbreuk, chair of the National Inclusive Transport Advocacy Network, says we know how to make things more accessible?— we just need to make it more of a priority.

He says transport companies need to have "proper business plans" demonstrating they can provide a truly accessible service and better enforce the anti-discrimination measures in their policies.?

State and federal governments need to "take responsibility" and step up as well, he says

The most recent review of the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport, which require providers to make their services accessible and remove discrimination, is currently being considered by ministers.

All levels of government also hold functions relevant to air travel, and a review of the policies that guide the aviation sector is set to be released later this year.

Kerry-Ann Tape is autistic and lives with several fatigue and pain conditions. It means leaving her apartment complex, let alone using public transport, takes a herculean effort.

Kerry-Ann?— who works at the ABC as a digital archivist?— lives in an area of Western Sydney where buses are the primary mode of public transport, and said she's felt dehumanised trying to use them.

The 31-year-old said buses hadn't stopped for her on multiple occasions while waiting with her heavy walking frame.?

Kerry-Ann said her disabilities prevent her from being able to lift the frame onto the bus if the driver doesn't get the ramp out for her. They also make it difficult for her to stand up for herself verbally.

She said sometimes when buses do stop a driver, will refuse to bring the ramp out or not realise she's trying to get on and "just drive off".

Kerry-Ann said because her disabilities are invisible and she looks young, she's often unable to get a seat on the bus.?

She said she's been harassed for sitting in an accessible seat, even when she's had mobility aids and a hidden disability sunflower lanyard with her.

"[When I can't get a seat] I have to get out and wait for another bus, or just sit on the floor and be judged.?

"I can't stand for longer than two minutes unaided. [It] is not a medical option for me."

Kerry-Ann said she rarely travels alone on public transport anymore because when she did incidents happened "at least once a week".

"When I have been going out recently with my walking frame, I've now had to ensure that someone else comes to ... help me get on and off the bus," she said.?

"It makes me feel like I'm a burden."

Kerry-Ann would like to see more disability awareness, both from transport staff and commuters, so people like her don't have to advocate so hard "for something so basic".

A Transport for NSW spokesperson said all Greater Sydney bus contractors must follow a disability engagement plan which included disability awareness training for frontline staff.

The 2023-24 NSW state budget allocated $800.7m over four years to accelerate transport accessibility, including bus stops, the spokesperson said.

Transport for NSW is currently developing a new disability inclusion plan that aims to "set the vision for a transport system with equal access for everyone", they added.

Federal transport minister Catherine King said there had been major investment in accessible transport in recent years, but the government was aware people with disability still encountered many issues.

"The Australian government is committed to further removing discrimination against people with disability in accessing public transport, from buses to planes to taxis," she said in a statement.

"The government is committed to listening to the experiences of people with disability and continuing to work with the public transport industry and other levels of government, to ... further tackle discrimination and improve accessibility."

Ultimately, Mr Witbreuk said all governments and transport operators needed to step up and improve experiences for people with disability.

"If these standards aren't complied with and not enforced, what's the point of having them?"