CAPE TOWN– “I cannot travel by public transport. I am visually impaired, so I cannot see which bus I am getting into.”
This is the plight of Cheryl Halford, a visually impaired woman, who will now have to find alternative means to travel around following the City of Cape Town’s announcement of significant changes to its Dial-a-Ride (DaR) service from next month (September).
Dial-a-Ride is a dedicated kerb-to-kerb service for people with disabilities who are unable to access mainstream public transport.
But from Monday 8 September the service will be available only to eligible wheelchair users and people with severe walking impairments.
In a press statement the City announced this is due to budget constraints. It said the service was experiencing “severe capacity challenges” where the demand exceeded available resources.
According to the City, the current budget deficit amounts to nearly R1 million a month and the operational costs will continue to increase.
“The annual budget for the service is R28,2 million, while the annual operating costs amount to R40 million currently. The service needs to be curtailed to operate within the available budget.”
But for Halford, executive council member of the non-profit Disabled People of South Africa (DPSA) this announcement resembles a prison sentence.
“I am a regular user of Dial-a-Ride. It is bad. I am working in the community. I cannot do what I am supposed to do without this service. It cuts me off from getting around [and doing things such as] collecting my Sassa grant. It feels as if I am in prison right now.”
The Western Cape Network on Disability has launched a petition and is appealing to people to sign up.
Judith Coetzee, chief executive officer for Cape Town Society for the Blind (CTSB), said this move will have “devastating consequences” for her organisation’s beneficiaries.
“Many rely on this service as their only means of getting to work, training and essential appointments. Excluding blind people from accessible public transport is discriminatory and it undermines decades of progress towards inclusion, equality and independence for people with disabilities.”
She appealed to the City to keep the service “accessible to all disabled people.”
According to Coetzee there was no “meaningful consultation” with the broader disability sector.
“This is unacceptable. People with disabilities are already among the most marginalised in our communities; stripping away their only accessible transport option deepens exclusion and poverty.
“As an organisation we stand with our partners in the disability movement in insisting that no group should be left behind. We urge the City to engage constructively with us to find a sustainable, inclusive transport solution that protects the rights and dignity of all people with disabilities.”
On Monday 25 August the Western Cape Network on Disability will stage a protest at the Cape Town Civic Centre, starting at 10:30. Protesters will gather at Artscape Theatre.
To sign the petition visit https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-cancellation-of-dial-a-ride-in-cape-town/nftexp/fht-490693368-en-gb/0/1380943430
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