New report 'Getting There: Transport and Access to Social Services' published

February 2010

A new report Getting There: Transport and Access to Social Services published today by the Citizens Information Board (CIB) highlights the range of issues experienced by the public in relation to travel, transport and access, particularly in rural areas. Issues such as:

• Lack of public transport in many rural areas and inability in some cases to avail of 'free travel'
• The continuing poor accessibility of some public transport, particularly outside the main cities
• Limitations of current transport and mobility support schemes
• Difficulties in getting transport to and from hospital services
• A heavy reliance on Supplementary Welfare Allowance Exceptional Needs Payments to cover the costs of transport to and from hospitals
• Transport and the cost of disability; people with disabilities regularly incur taxi costs in accessing services
• Impact of lack of appropriate transport on people with disabilities taking up employment or training opportunities
• Difficulties experienced by some people in accessing information about public transport options and transport supports.

One of the cases in the report tells how a woman, whose husband has a disability, contacted her local Citizens Information Service as she was finding it difficult to cope due to caring and financial pressures. The couple's application for a Motorised Transport Grant was turned down on the basis that "an applicant must be seeking to obtain or retain employment, have secured a place in full-time education or be eligible to participate in a FÁS course". There is no reference to the payment of the grant in exceptional circumstances, such as this couple faced, who live in a very isolated location and who are impeded from using public transport.

Tony McQuinn, Chief Executive, CIB said: "The report clearly indicates the difficulties experienced by people with the range of transport and mobility support schemes and is based on direct feedback from the public through our nationwide network of Citizens Information Services and Disability Advocacy projects. It shows the importance of building a service based around the needs of the public rather than a multiplicity of parallel and fragmented support initiatives, frequently operating independently of one another, that lose sight of the needs of the end user."

The report indicates that to arrive at an efficient, cost-effective and equitable system of publicly funded transport that provides access for all, some further exploration is required in two distinct areas:

• Streamlining (or cohesion) to achieve greater co-ordination between services for the benefit of users, particularly in respect of accessing necessary health and social services
• Rationalisation of the current multiplicity of schemes to provide the most efficient use of available resources and improved equality of access for all groups of people with transport and mobility issues

The report refers to the lead role of the Department of Transport in bringing together the different government departments and statutory agencies involved in transport provision in order to optimise resources. Developing a more integrated approach including further transport provision by voluntary organisations and the HSE and how these fit with the Rural Transport Programme should be included in the evaluation. Also, since sustainability is a key factor, public transport policy needs to be fully integrated with other policies such as those in relation to spatial and regional planning, as well as education and health.

Getting There: Transport and Access to Social Services (2010)
Getting There: Transport and Access to Social Services - Executive Summary (2010)

Pictured from left; Tony McQuinn, CEO, Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Mary Hanafin T.D., Michael Browne, Report Author and Martin Naughton, Former Board CIB