22 March 2016

New Pilot Programme for Mobility Parking Users

National organisations CCS Disability Action and Driving Miss Daisy NZ Ltd will launch a new pilot scheme to better support access for Mobility Parking users across New Zealand.

From Monday 4 April 2016, Driving Miss Daisy vehicles will be able to utilise Mobility Parking Permits when transporting disabled people and those with mobility issues. Until now, Mobility Parking Permits have primarily been issued to individuals with disabilities. Some organisations such as residential providers have Organisation Permits for use when transporting people they support. However taxi companies have not been able to use the permits.

As part of the pilot Driving Miss Daisy drivers will identify passengers with mobility issues who don’t have a Mobility Parking Permit and encourage them to apply for one. GPs or medical specialists are still required to approve a person’s application on medical grounds.

Driving Miss Daisy Director, Melanie Harper, says her drivers currently transport around 20,000 New Zealanders and around 90% have mobility issues, or are disabled. However, not all people have Mobility Parking Permits of their own. By teaming up with CCS Disability Action she believes her company will be able to help improve people’s access to their community.

CCS Disability Action National Manager Projects & Partnerships, Peter Wilson, said while 123,000 people currently use the Mobility Parking Scheme, he agrees there are people who are likely eligible and not applying for a permit. He hopes the partnership with Driving Miss Daisy will increase the number of users of the scheme.

Mr Wilson said his organisation decided to partner with Driving Miss Daisy because, unlike other taxi companies, Driving Miss Daisy provides additional “support services” to many of its passengers, including accompanying people to appointments if they need help. However, the pilot does not mean that CCS Disability Action endorses Driving Miss Daisy over other transport providers.

“There are many taxi companies in New Zealand doing a great job in supporting disabled people. What the pilot scheme means is that Driving Miss Daisy vehicles, unlike other taxi companies, will be able to park on Mobility Parks while dropping off or picking up a disabled person. If the year-long pilot works well we may consider entering into discussions with other companies,” said Mr Wilson.

Mr Wilson said during the pilot both organisations will measure whether the partnership is providing better community access to disabled people. Driving Miss Daisy will also be responsible for ensuring its drivers adhere to all the rules other permit holders have to comply with.

“This includes only parking on Mobility Parking spaces when dropping off or picking someone up who has a disability, or helping them into buildings or at appointments.”

From 1 May 2016, CCS Disability Action will also introduce a “new look” Mobility Parking permit.

Mr Wilson said there was feedback the previous permit was not visible enough to parking enforcement staff, which resulted in some disabled people being mistakenly ticketed. In addition a small number of permits degraded in hotter temperatures.

“We were surprised by the degrading of some permits, but have worked to develop a more robust permit. The new permit is brighter and has a hook so it can be hung from the rearview mirror which makes it more visible.”

From 1 May the new permit will be issued to new permit users and those renewing cards. “People using current permits will retain these until they require renewal, when we will issue them with a new permit,” said Mr Wilson.

For further information on the Mobility Parking Scheme go to http://mobilityparking.org.nz/ or phone 0800 227 22 55
To find your local Driving Miss Daisy go to http://drivingmissdaisy.co.nz/find-your-local-branch/
~ENDS~

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