I encounter access barriers with transport every day. A subsidised taxi trip to Wellington CBD from Karori currently costs me ten dollars. Without the current transport subsidy it would be twenty dollars. On the bus, it would be less than three dollars. Total mobility taxis are the most accessible way for me to get around, but they are way too expensive. And once again, the Government is about to take away the subsidies.

The following is a post I wrote about this back in 2020:

"I am functionally blind due to a complex neurological condition somewhat related to migraine. I have to spend my energy carefully. Even with my eyes and head covered, enough light gets in that I have a strict budget of how much daylight my brain can take before my body becomes very sick.
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Once a doctor described where a chair was for me. I found it with my white cane, then the doctor went through a checklist and asked me if I drive. Overworked medical staff aside, it’s pretty obvious driving isn’t an option for me. It also takes a lot more time and effort for me to navigate on foot or by bus than it would take an abled person. I have a total mobility card, which gives me half price taxi fares (about the same price as an Uber), but this is still way too expensive when your weekly income is $307. During the COVID-19 response taxis were free for those of us with a mobility disability, and it was the first time in four years I’ve experienced the level of freedom I had when I was sighted. Getting places was no longer a massive mission. No longer the biggest drain on my health.
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Why is taxi funding so important?
Here is the story of two very different weeks of my life.
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Week One: Final week of June. Level 1. Taxis fully funded.
Travel Day 1, Week 1
Appointment to get medical equipment. Get ready. Call taxi.

Taxi Trip: Home in Karori, to Bowen Hospital, Crofton Downs.
Time: 20 mins
Cost: $0.00
Health Impact: Minimal
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Taxi driver is prompt and friendly, happy to have a good fare. He helps me find the door to the hospital. I arrived at my appointment focused and ready to learn about my new equipment. After the appointment, with the equipment in my backpack, I chose to take the half a block walk to Countdown. Emphasis on the word chose. It was later in the afternoon, not too bright, and took me about 15 mins. I did some shopping, then called a taxi.

Taxi Trip: Countdown Crofton Downs to Home, Karori
Time: 20 mins
Cost: $0.00
Health impact: Minimal
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I got home, dropped off the medical equipment and shopping, and had dinner. Then I went to Wellington Central for a theatre-sports night at Drama Christi.

Taxi Trip: Home Karori, to Drama Christi Studio, Wellington Central
Time: 20 mins
Cost: $0.00
Health Impact: Minimal
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I had a wonderful time. Connected with my theatre friends, and did a praise-worthy lizard impression.

Taxi Trip: Drama Christi Studio, Wellington, to Home Karori
Time: 20 mins
Cost: $0.00
Health Impact: Minimal
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The next couple of days I just hung around home, pottering and resting, I can’t go out everyday, no matter the transport.
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Travel Day 2, Week 1
I went on an adventure! I’ve been needing a new armchair for about four years now. They come and go at op-shops, and getting to an op-shop was such a mission I had looked a few times, but never found one. My old chair was quite literally falling to bits. Without taxis, going to a single op-shop would take at least half my day and most of my energy. With the taxis I was able to go to three different shops, two of which I’d never been to because finding them was hard. After the third I had found my perfect armchair in two hours!
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Travel Day 3, Week 1
I took a taxi to Zealandia and met my friend.

Taxi Trip: Home Karori, to Zealandia, Karori
Time: 10 mins
Cost: $0.00
Health Impact: Minimal
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We had a great time! It was raining, so the light levels were good, even if we both had to thaw out after. Side note. Previously, I had tried to go to Zealandia with a different friend, back when taxis weren’t fully funded. We’d taken a bus, and I was being sighted guided. The footpath was so narrow and inaccessible I’d tried to move quickly out of someone’s way, without realising my guide wasn’t on the footpath at all. I mistakenly stepped off and fell. Being on crutches for two weeks is very interesting blind. Anyway, I digress. I had a good time with my friend, he watched birds being fed and I listened to their calls! We chatted on a suspension bridge and I tried to figure out how high up we were by clapping and listening to the echoes. I was feeling a bit sick and dizzy after the outdoors time, and was able to get home quickly and safely in another taxi and rest.

Taxi Trip: Zealandia, Karori, to Home Karori
Time: 10 mins
Cost: $0.00
Health Impact: Minimal
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Contrast this normal life, with what my life is usually like, and has been like since taxi fairs went back to the normal subsidised rate
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Week 2, a week in mid July. Taxis only half funded as usual. Bus fares also partially funded as usual.
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Travel Day 1:
Follow up appointment and check of equipment at Bowen Hospital. There is no direct bus or train from Karori to Crofton Downs, this is a common problem, and means I have to go through central to get anywhere.

Taxi Trip: Home Karori to bus-stop, Karori
Time: 15 mins
Cost: $4.50
Health Impact Minimal
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I live 1.3k from my nearest regular bus-stop. I live in this location because I need a government funded house that meets my specific access needs, so a closer location isn’t an option. With having to allow time for the taxi to show up, then time for paying for the fare in cash because ETF-POS costs more, then a little wiggle room for the bus, this takes time.

Bus Trip: Bus-stop Karori, to Lambton Quay, Wellington
Time: 20 mins
Cost: $1.87
Health impact: Stressful
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I’m Autistic, the crowd and noise on the bus is stressful. I also rely on the bus driver to remember to tell me when we reach my stop. I’m on the edge of my seat the whole time, trying to keep track of where I am.

Walking Trip: Bus-stop, Lambton Quay, to platform 1, Wellington train station.
Time: 45 mins
Cost: $0.00
Medical Impact: Mentally and physically draining with intense focus required, and lots of time in the light.
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The bus doesn’t go to the station, so I have to walk it. Mum looked it up on google maps, and I am somewhat familiar with the station entrance. First I have to cross a five lane road I haven’t crossed before. There is little curvature to the road, and little parallel traffic, and it’s a long way. I veer and get caught up in the central island. A motorist and a passerby help me the rest of the way across. I am competent and crossing roads, but five lanes can be tough. After a couple of fights to the death with tree branches I find the entrance to the station underpass. But inside there is a jumble of benches and rails, it takes me a while to find the top of the stairs. I head down, but my brain is tired, which way do I turn? Bother, not that way! I turn around and walk all the way back through the underpass and into the giant, echoing, open space of the concourse. If I am careful I can maintain a mostly straight path, and if I tune my senses to their utmost, I know when to turn for the platforms based on the wind coming through the front doors. I reach the platform, and have to ask for help. A guard walks me to the right place. I wait ten minutes for the train, at least I’m not late.

Train Trip: Wellington Station to Crofton Downs Station
Time: 10 mins
Cost: $2.50
Health Impact: The light is starting to get to me
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I wish people wouldn’t grab at me to help me off the train.

Walking Trip: Crofton Downs Station, to Bowen Hospital
Time: 30 mins
Cost: $0.00
Health Impact: Please, get me out of the light.
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Why does the ‘path’ through the station carpark feel exactly the same as the carpark itself? Would it have been faster if the passerby hadn’t helped me and I had just wandered into the parked cars?
The walk to the hospital isn’t bad, narrow path with rails, fairly easy to follow. I wish I was better at human echolocation at the other end, finding the building is hard. Why are those bikes there, and why do they hate me? Finally, I’m inside. Of course, because of the train timetables, I now have 20 minutes to wait. I have my appointment 2 hours and 20 minutes after I left home to get to it. My head hurts, and I’m exhausted. What exactly are they trying to tell me? Oh well, who cares, it’s only my health.

Walking Trip: Hospital to station.
Time: 30 mins
Cost: $0.00
Health impact: Ouch
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Wait 15 mins for a train.

Train Trip: Crofton Downs to Wellington
Time: 10 mins
Cost: $2.50
Health impact: at least I’m sitting down.
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Walking Trip: train platform through underpass to bus depot
Time: 20 mins
Cost: $0.00
Health Impact: Kill me now.
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Through the station. Find a flipping bathroom. Through the tunnel. Up the escalator. Which of these three bus-stops?

Bus Trip: station to Lambton Quay
Time: 5 mins
Cost: $0.86
Health Impact: I refuse to walk this nonsense again.
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Walking Trip: cross Lambton Quay
Time: 5 mins
Cost: $0.00
Health impact: screams internally
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Then wait ten minutes for the bus

Bus Trip: Lambton Quay to Karori bus-stop
Time: 17 mins
Cost: $1.87
Health Impact: I wanna go HOME
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Get out, cross the road. Wait 15 mins for a taxi that has to come from central Wellington, where I literally just was. It probably cost the driver to come here and do me this kindness. I’m so cold. Side note: My longest wait time out in Karori for a taxi home at night, was two hours, with heavy groceries. If I catch it from town I barely have to wait and have never failed to get one. But I can’t afford that.

Taxi Trip: Bus-stop to home
Time: 10 mins
Cost: $4.50
Health Impact: Just sitting in pain
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I collapse in a heap and finally have some food.
Complete trip cost $18.54 and took 4 hours and 35 minutes not including the time in the appointment. In a taxi the round trip would have taken 40 minutes, but would have cost me $28 at current funding rates, this is 9% of my weekly income, and given this is not the only place I have to go in a week, is simply not affordable.
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Travel day 2, week 2
The very next day I have a doctor’s appointment in the morning, and an improv show rehearsal in the evening. I won’t go into all the detail.
Taxi (15 min, $4.50-)
Bus One to town (30 mins, $1.87 )
Wait for bus (10 min)
Bus Two to Newtown (25 mins with waiting, $1.41)
Walk to doctor (25 min)

I have my appointment. With how long it takes me, if I went home in between I would have less than two hours down time before having to turn around and do the whole nightmare again. So I actually go to a movie to get out of the light and kill some time. It costs about the same, despite:
Bus to central (30 mins with waiting, $1.41)
Bus along Courtenay place (10 mins with waiting, $0.86)
I just have time for food and picking up my prescription because of how long it takes to walk and bus between these things. Then I walk to rehearsal on Abel-Smith St.
35 mins (no, no buses will get me closer than this from here)
I am shattered. Spent. I may as well not be at rehearsal, I certainly can’t enjoy it, and I am letting others down.
After: I just can’t face the journey and call a taxi home (15 mins, $17)
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All that time in the light triggered my health conditions, leaving me with a five day migraine. I had to skip the improv show I’d practised for. After four days in bed I took a taxi to Accident and Emergency ($18) and was admitted to short stay and given IV medication to bring it under control. Another taxi home ($18). Another two days recovering at home, and I am almost back to normal, with a decent chunk of my food budget gone, of course.

I am sorry that was so long and detailed. I actually left out a lot of fussing around and looking for landmarks to navigate. Dealing with abled people grabbing at me, etc. If you feel tired reading this, imagine how tired I get doing it. Every time I have somewhere to be. Free Taxis gave me freedom. Healthcare. The ability to look after my sick body and stay as well as possible. And the chance to actually actively be part of my community. This country had two months in lockdown. I’ve had four years. Please let me out."

The Government must properly fund the total mobility scheme. There also needs to be legislation in the new law that disability-friendly alternatives to basic services should be funded to be priced at the same level as the equivalent service or goods designed for non-disabled people. #FreeFaresToFreedom

This is a story about the barriers many face. We're sharing it because we want a law that puts accessibility at the heart of an inclusive Aotearoa New Zealand.

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