Getting around is relatively difficult for many people with disabilities. But in the near future, their “difficulties” will be partly eased, as people with disabilities will be given better conditions to use taxis to get around. This is very practical in helping less fortunate people feel more confident about integrating into the community.
Helping people with disabilities integrate confidently into the community…
Decision 1019/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister on supporting people with disabilities in the 2012–2020 period aims to help people with disabilities develop their abilities and create conditions for them to participate equally in socio-economic activities and contribute to building society. The target set for 2020 is that at least 80% of people with disabilities who need to travel should be able to use transport that meets technical standards for transport, or access equivalent support services.
According to statistics, the country currently has about 5.1 million people with disabilities, accounting for about 6% of the population. At present, the material and spiritual lives of people with disabilities are still very difficult: as many as 70–80% of people with disabilities have to depend on their families, relatives and social allowances. And 35% of people with disabilities are poor. The difficulties they face in life also prevent people with disabilities from accessing public services, education, health care, employment and transport… leaving them lacking confidence in integrating into the community.
To provide more practical help for people with disabilities, Thanh Cong taxi company is rolling out a “taxi for people with disabilities” scheme in Hanoi. This is the first taxi company in the country to run such a programme. From the beginning of 2015, people with disabilities in the capital will be supported to access Thanh Cong’s taxi transport, with help getting in and out of vehicles, reduced fares and other support services…
“Specifically, we have submitted the scheme to the competent authorities for consideration, and at the same time we will contact the Association of People with Disabilities to plan training for Thanh Cong taxi drivers in recognising different types of disability and serving passengers with disabilities. The people we serve are people with disabilities at hospitals and health centres, centres caring for people with disabilities and social protection organisations. From the beginning of 2015, people with disabilities who need a taxi can contact us for service. We will offer special fare discounts: for now, we are cutting fares by 30–50% for people with disabilities on fixed routes, and by 20 to 40% for casual passengers with disabilities,” said Mr. Nguyen Anh Quan, Chairman of the Board of Members of Thanh Cong taxi.
Commenting on the scheme, Mr. Trinh Xuan Dung, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi Association of People with Disabilities, said: “This is a very humane and practical scheme to help people with disabilities integrate into the community, and it moves us deeply. Hanoi currently has about 90,000 people with disabilities, but only about 9,000 of them are registered members of the Hanoi Association of People with Disabilities. For this programme to be implemented well and to fully realise its significance, we hope Thanh Cong taxi will make every effort to equip its vehicles, train its drivers with the knowledge and skills to serve people with disabilities well, and reduce fares so that people with disabilities can easily access this transport service”.
Tran Thi Bich Huong, herself a person with a disability who has relied on a wheelchair to get around for many years (a member of the Long Bien District Association of People with Disabilities), could not hide her emotion when speaking to a reporter from PL&XH newspaper:
“I am delighted to hear that a taxi company is supporting people with disabilities like us. I myself have experienced needing a taxi, but calling again and again while drivers refused to serve me because helping us get in and out of the vehicle is quite difficult. I know the State has policies to support less fortunate people like me, for example discounted bus fares. However, people with disabilities still cannot access bus discounts, because buses are less flexible than taxis — buses cannot go into the alleys and side streets as we need them to. This is a humane, meaningful programme that not every business could do, and it has moved us deeply,” Huong said.
From the beginning of 2015, taxi services for people with disabilities have appeared in Hanoi for the first time – no other locality in the country has this programme. Photo: Sy Hao
How feasible is it?
Supporting people with disabilities has become an urgent issue that needs to be considered and resolved as society develops. People’s travel needs are increasing, but services for people with disabilities have not received due attention. That is why Thanh Cong taxi’s scheme, which pays more attention to people with disabilities, has won public support. However, many people are also concerned about how feasible the scheme is.
According to Mr. Do Xuan Hoa, Vice Chairman and Secretary General of the Vietnam Automobile Transport Association, at a time when transport businesses are all chasing profit, a service supporting people with disabilities is a humane and meaningful act.
“In many countries around the world, this was done long ago, but in Vietnam we still do not have the conditions to implement it really well. Eight years ago, the Asian Development Bank supported us in implementing a scheme to help people with disabilities use buses in major cities such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, but when it came to implementation, only Ho Chi Minh City managed it. This is very difficult, because the vehicles and drivers must meet ‘special’ standards to serve the needs of people with disabilities well. I sincerely hope Thanh Cong taxi will overcome the initial difficulties and challenges. I think the company should seek opinions from the competent authorities so that it can be supported and do this humane and meaningful scheme really well,” said Mr. Do Xuan Hoa.
However, Mr. Hoa also worried that even a 50% fare reduction for people with disabilities would still be high. In practice, he said, it is already hard for people with disabilities to find paid work, and most of their incomes are… not high. A normal taxi fare is VND 11,000 to VND 15,000 per km, so even with a 50% reduction, many people with disabilities would still find this form of transport hard to access.
“In fact, in Ho Chi Minh City, bus travel is now free for people with disabilities, but not many people with disabilities use buses to get around. Another issue is that I am not sure exactly when Thanh Cong taxi will roll out this scheme,” Mr. Hoa said.
In reality, the State pays great attention to supporting people with disabilities to integrate into the community: we have the Law and guiding decrees. Recently, in implementing regulations on transport management, Decree 86, which replaces Decrees 91 and 93 of the Government, also raised this issue. In particular, in Circular 63 of 2014, the Ministry of Transport also required that all passenger transport vehicles on fixed routes must have a place for people with disabilities from 2016 onwards, especially people with mobility disabilities. This is a very difficult issue for transport businesses in our current conditions, because they must have a dedicated space and a support system to help people with disabilities get on and off. Clearly, Thanh Cong taxi leading the way among transport businesses in Hanoi in rolling out a plan to serve people with disabilities is very commendable.
Mr. Nguyen Khuong Duy, Director of Thanh Cong taxi:
“Before 1 March 2015, the programme to support people with disabilities will be rolled out”
Speaking to a reporter from PL&XH newspaper, Mr. Nguyen Khuong Duy, Director of Thanh Cong taxi, said: “For the programme to support people with disabilities, we will not wait for permission from the competent authorities before acting; we will roll it out before 1 March 2015, because the business believes the sooner it is rolled out, the better”.
According to Mr. Duy, Thanh Cong taxi submitted this scheme to the competent authorities two years ago for their consideration and support. But so far it has received no feedback, although the company very much hopes to receive support from the competent authorities as well as from the community and benefactors.
“At this stage we have decided to roll it out. Specifically, we have divided the programme into two phases. First, before 1 March 2015, all 100% of Thanh Cong’s taxis will be ready to serve people with disabilities when they request it. Drivers will be trained in skills to help people with disabilities get on and off vehicles, and fares will be reduced in accordance with company regulations. In phase two, we will have dedicated (special) vehicles to serve people with disabilities, and will further improve the programme in terms of service, helping people with disabilities to call a taxi, as well as making fare calculation specific and transparent. We may develop a separate fare package for people with disabilities, with payment by card,” Mr. Duy said.
It is understood that in February 2015, Thanh Cong taxi will issue a card for customers (in general), with card payment for fares – for people with disabilities, there will also be special markings for identification, with a discount scheme. As for the operating system, there will be a hotline for people with disabilities to call when they need a ride, for specific guidance. For vehicles, there will also be markings and symbols so that customers can easily recognise them and request service.
Sy Hao – http://phapluatxahoi.vn/