An organisation working with disabled people in Cape Town has welcomed the City of Cape Town’s decision to buy 13 new vehicles for the Dial-a-Ride (Dar) service.
Dar serves commuters with special needs, using specialised equipment to fit wheelchairs and other assistive devices to help scores of people who can’t use conventional public transport to get around.
The City announced last week it has invested R17 million in new vehicles for Dar, which will see an additional 13 vehicles fully operational by mid-January.
The Dar service currently has 319 regular users, and 2 300 eligible users who are transported on an ad hoc-basis.
“It will be an answer to prayer,” says Evelyn Koopman, founder of the Ulwazi Project, an organisation which hosts daily arts and crafts classes for disabled people at the Bellville library – especially those with cerebral palsy.
Around 10 people from across the city attend the project, with carers and volunteers helping them. The Ulwazi Project has had many run-ins with Dar in the past when the service provided little or limited rides (“Disabled left stranded,” 20 November 2019). Many explained how Ulwazi acts as a job for the clients and when they’re not able to attend, they feel they have no purpose. They often try to transport the clients in regular cars, but this requires two cars per client – one for the person and one for the wheelchair. Koopman says the service has improved marginally over the years, but there is a massive demand in the city.
The last time that the City replaced the Dar fleet was in 2015. In a statement, the City says the fleet can accommodate 64 seated passengers with special needs and 56 passengers in wheelchairs per trip.
“This investment confirms the City’s commitment to ensuring that we improve access to opportunities for those who need it most,” says Rob Quintas, the City’s Mayco member for urban mobility.
“Many people who are in wheelchairs, or those with impaired eyesight, cannot get to where they need to be and rely on the Dar service for assistance.”
Quintas says there will be bumps in the road ahead as the City’s contract with the Dar operator, HG Travelling Service, is set to come to an end in 2023.
“In the meantime, we are working on a long-term business plan for a sustainable service that is more cost effective and able to assist more users. Unfortunately, the demand for this service is much greater than we can provide at the moment, thus we have to investigate alternatives to improve access.”
