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Greater Wellington issues mobility smart cards

Greater Wellington issues mobility smart cards


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New smart cards, being issued to Greater Wellington’s Total Mobility customers over the next few weeks, include a unique Braille feature – believed to be the first of its kind in New Zealand.

Total Mobility is Greater Wellington’s subsidised taxi service for people with permanent disabilities who cannot use regular bus or train services. About 5000 people throughout the Wellington region will be issued with the new photo ID cards.

The new cards will replace the existing paper voucher system later this year. The cards have a Braille sign in the top right hand corner to make them more easily identifiable for vision impaired customers.

Thomas Bryan, Chair of Greater Wellington’s Disability Reference Group and a Total Mobility customer who lives in Lyall Bay, welcomed the new cards, particularly the Braille symbol. “To the best of my knowledge, the Braille feature is a first in New Zealand and I think Greater Wellington should be applauded for ensuring that this card will be easily identifiable by all.

“Many blind users develop their own systems so they can find the right card. This might be by remembering the order their cards are in, or Braille on the outside of the pocket that the card is in. However, if and when cards fall out or get mixed up it can be quite difficult to work out which cards are which. Having Braille on the card will make it so much easier to find.”

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He says the new cards will be a vast improvement for all Total Mobility customers. “For me, as a blind customer, and for many other people with disabilities, having to get the voucher filled out by someone else or the taxi driver can be a real pain and can be frustrating for all concerned. Having a card enables me to be that bit more independent.

“The size of the card means that it will fit easily in wallets whereas the vouchers are large and bulky. And a photo on the card will certainly verify to the driver that the person is entitled to use the scheme.”

Peter Glensor, Chair of Greater Wellington’s Transport and Access Committee, said when the council tendered for the development of a new system, it had specified the need for a Braille feature. “The usefulness of a Braille symbol was something that came up in our preliminary discussions with disability and mobility agencies when we were planning to change the Total Mobility system. So we’re really delighted that our contractor – Snapper Services and its project partner Eyede – have been able to deliver on this for us. It was certainly a challenge for them.”

The voucher system will be phased out around the middle of this year. Until then, Total Mobility customers will need to present both their new card and a voucher to their taxi driver.


ENDS

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