Ms Sandra McCullagh:

I will briefly outline the link between inadequate public transport and poverty. People with disabilities are at greater risk of poverty than the general population. They experience much higher levels of deprivation and persistent poverty. People with disabilities have extra costs associated with having a disability and living in an inaccessible and unequal society. Transport can be a significant aspect of those extra costs. Where public transport is poor or unavailable, people require cars or taxis to get around and to access education, work or social experiences. If there is no private car available or if the cost of taxis is prohibitive, people simply miss out, which leads to further poverty and social exclusion.

A recent report by my colleagues in the NCBI indicated that people with visual impairment face additional weekly transport costs of approximately €20 per week to cover the cost of taxis. That figure is a bare minimum and assumes there is an adequate public transport system in place. It is probably an understatement. The report reiterated that rather than being luxuries, people with vision impairment and others rely on the use of taxi services as a basic necessity to live independently. The decision in 2013 to close the mobility allowance and the motorised transport grant scheme to new applicants has placed an additional burden or risk of social exclusion on people with disabilities. The proposed scheme, the Health (Transport Support) Bill, to assist those with a disability to meet their mobility needs appears to have stalled, with the Department of Health and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform considering whether the scheme is capable of being costed and whether it is affordable on its introduction and on an ongoing basis. There is an urgent need to introduce a scheme to replace the other schemes. Sarah Lennon alluded to the consultation we have carried out on our budgetary work. The issue of transport arose in that, as did the issue of mobility grants. People told us that they need the reinstatement of the mobility grant. Its absence has left families in desperate financial distress and has left many people in rural areas without transport.

Many of the citizens with disabilities we encounter through our advocacy work reflect interactions with public transport providers that are undignified and discriminatory. Of particular concern recently is that people we spoke to have referred to the issue of private bus companies not accepting the free travel pass, or private services on public routes prioritising non-free travel customers and leaving disabled passengers behind. The National Platform of Self Advocates research, which my colleague referred to earlier, addresses these issues and recommends that the Government tackles this through funding or extending the travel pass to include a certain number of taxi trips per month or year or a certain number of private bus trips per month or year.

To conclude, Inclusion Ireland thanks the committee for the opportunity to raise these issues. It is clear that a high quality, reliable and accessible public transport system is a critical component of a life in the community. Where public transport is not available, often there is a choice between using taxis or, if the cost of that is too high, simply missing out which results in further social exclusion. The need for accessibility encompasses the entire journey experience. We have spoken a great deal about the physical infrastructure but it also involves accessible information and timetables, disability aware staff and accessible parking in the case of park-and-ride facilities. Inclusion Ireland believes that a high quality, accessible and consistent public transport system is a key element in addressing the cost of disability and the social exclusion faced by people with intellectual disabilities. We urge the Department to equality-proof and disability-proof decisions and consider their actual impact on disabled people.