Left behind: the fight for accessible public transport in Victoria

Google Maps tells Akii Ngo it will take 22 minutes to walk to the nearest metropolitan train station. But Ngo knows it will take at least 15 minutes longer than that.

All of this means Ngo is effectively cut off from using public transport in their local area, forced to rely primarily on accessible taxis, which are often unavailable and substantially more expensive than public transport. Even with a multi-purpose taxi-card, a government program that subsidises 50% of the fare, a relatively short trip can cost up to $60.

Ngo is one of a number of activists and advocates who have been fighting for years for fully accessible public transport in Victoria. For their most recent collective action in May, organised by the Disability Resource Centre, they dressed in skeleton costumes and blocked trams on route 19. It was a $100 round trip in an accessible taxi for Ngo to attend.

Fully accessible public transport is federally legislated under the Disability Discrimination Act. In 2002, standards came into effect requiring public transport in all states and territories to be fully accessible by the end of 2022.

That includes all tram, train and bus stops, and captures everything from access paths, ramps, doorways and lifts to toilets, surfaces, hearing augmentation, handrails and grab rails, lighting and signs. The major exceptions are the trams and trains themselves, for which states have another 10 years to roll over their stock.

In Victoria, the most complete data is on the accessibility of tram services. A report published by the auditor general in October 2020 found that in 2018-19, only 15% of tram services delivered a fully accessible service of a low-floor vehicle at a level-access stop.

The report found Victoria was also at risk of not meeting the 2032 compliance date.