Free Fares to Freedom

Free Fares to Freedom

Started
12 July 2020
Petition to
Victory
This petition made change with 3,740 supporters!

Why this petition matters

Started by K Parker

Imagine you couldn’t drive. How would you meet your basic needs of grocery shopping, seeing loved ones, or attending appointments?

Now - what if you had a disability that meant you were unable to use public transport independently?

This is reality for tens of thousands of New Zealanders. Getting from A to B is exhausting. The energy required often outweighs the benefits

Taxis were fully subsidised from April to June, bringing us a sense of freedom, choice, and control - we were finally thriving rather than just surviving.

Although NZ reemerges from lockdown, we stay at home; isolated and unseen. Include us in this new New Zealand. We deserve the same access to the same mobility as everyone else.

We ask NZTA to reinstate fully funded taxi travel, as this has provided substantial positive ramifications for people with access needs.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities lists transport as one of its major areas of focus. Access to transport that is both affordable and easy is a human right. As it stands, many in New Zealand who have mobility access needs are denied this right.

Fully subsidised taxis would cost the government roughly $12 million annually - a mere drop in the ocean of the billions already spent on New Zealand's roads, which many in our community cannot even access. 

Fully subsidised taxis would:

- enable tens of thousands to contribute to the NZ economy, the arts, culture, and the community.

- drastically improve mental and physical health. 

New Zealand is a revolutionary little country, and this is our opportunity to revolutionise the understanding, engagement, and integration of disability to create a culture of world-leading equality.

This will change lives. Enable us to thrive, not just survive.

Link to 1 News interview - https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/disabled-community-members-rely-taxis-call-government-reinstate-full-funding?fbclid=IwAR38_oKg130a_ey_D_ktxEc-iPnTuO6refx_KpHt6ErqJ8CZqRVB9t9CbZI 
Email - freefarestofreedom@gmail.com
Facebook - https://facebook.com/freefarestofreedom  
Instagram - @freefarestofreedomnz
Twitter - @freefaresnz

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This petition made change with 3,740 supporters!

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