Accessible transport

Anyone with a disability living in the Bay of Plenty can apply for membership to the Total Mobility Scheme. You can apply by using our standard membership application form and be assessed by an assessor registered with Council.

You can only apply for membership through one of the support agencies taking part in the scheme (an accredited agency). Accredited agencies make sure that all forms are completed correctly and returned to Council. For a photo ID smart card, you can provide the assessor with a recent head and shoulders style photograph or they will take a photo at the assessment. We will return any incomplete forms to the accredited agencies for more information.

We maintain a database of people eligible to use the scheme.

All applicants must be registered with Bay of Plenty Regional Council before they are given Total Mobility photo ID smart card

In an appeal situation, the Total Mobility Management makes the final decision if a person is eligible for membership of the scheme.

Council does not charge applicants a membership fee to join the scheme. Some agencies may charge the applicant a fee for joining their organisation, or charge a one off fee for assessment and registration of the applicant. Any fees to meet the agency's costs are to be paid directly to the agency by the applicant. 

The assessment usually takes place at the support agency office or in the applicant’s home. Visits to places like hospitals and rest homes can also be arranged. The assessment lasts about 20-30 minutes and includes taking a head and shoulders photo for the Total Mobility identification smart card.

The application will be processed as quickly as possible. We will contact both the applicant and agency when we receive the application.

As soon as the application has been processed, the client will be contacted and told of the outcome of the application in writing. Successful applicants will receive a photo ID smart card.  It will take approximately two weeks to register a successful applicant and issue a photo ID smart card.

All information given through the application process will be held in a database by Council.

We will make sure  all names and personal information remain private and confidential. Internal access to the database will be restricted to appropriate  Council staff only. The officers able to access the information will be the New Zealand Land Transport Manager, Transport Planner and administration staff dealing with Total Mobility. Information technology officers will have access for data security purposes only.  The information can also be used for training purposes for council staff and assessors.

We collect statistical information to report on the Total Mobility Scheme and to plan for its future. Demographic information will be held in a separate database from assessment information and can be used for planning purposes.

A private company will process the photo ID smart card. The company that produces the card will need to scan the applicant's photo into computer memory for production and reproduction of cards and will need to keep a record of the application form.

Applicants may need to show evidence of their disability if the assessor isn't familiar with the applicant's disability history. If this is the case, the assessor will ask the applicant's permission to find out more information about the disability. The applicant should give the assessor the name of their caregiver, ACC assessor, GP, specialist, physiotherapist, psychiatrist, social worker or occupational therapist.  Refusal to cooperate with the assessor may prevent the assessor from completing the assessment and not allow the applicant to take part in the scheme.

You will be assessed as having either a permanent or a temporary disability. If you qualify for Total Mobility and are assessed as having a permanent disability, you will be registered as a 'life-member' of the scheme and will be given a photo ID smart card that only has to be renewed every five years.

If you are assessed as having a temporary disability and qualify for Total Mobility, you will be registered as a temporary member. You will be issued with a temporary photo ID smart card and given a date for reassessment. A month before the due date of your reassessment, you will be sent a reminder. Unless your registration is extended, your registration and temporary photo ID smart card and will expire five working days after your reassessment date. If your temporary registration is extended you will be issued with a replacement smart card. This process may be repeated as often as necessary.

Total Mobility photo ID smart card may only be used for journeys that are not covered by travel income or assistance from another official source. Using the smart card while receiving other financial assistance for the same purpose ('double-dipping') is not allowed.

Applicants that receive travel income or assistance from another official source must say if they receive general financial assistance, or what journeys they receive financial assistance for.

Note: Applicants that receive general financial assistance may not be eligible for Total Mobility at all.

You need to use the photo ID smart card to get the Total Mobility discount.

Present the card to the driver at the beginning of the trip.  The taxi driver will swipe the card at the start of the trip and then again at the end of the trip.  This will record all the necessary information for the discount.  The driver will then let you know how much you need to pay.  
 
A return trip in the same taxi (a trip from origin to destination and back to the point of origin) is counted as two trips.

When two or more people with disabilities share the same taxi, only one smart card should be used for the trip.

The restrictions on the use of the scheme are as follows:

• Smart card can't be used for inter-regional travel, such as for journeys from the Bay of Plenty to another region.
• Smart card can't be used in the course of your employment. However they can be used to get to and from work.
• Smart card can't be used where transport-related financial assistance is available from another official source.
• The maximum discount payable for a single journey is $37.50 per trip, 75% of a $50 fare.
• Smart card can be used in other regions. except Hawke's Bay and West Coast areas.  To travel in these regions a voucher is still required.  Please contact the council before you use the program in these regions.
• Other than the need to comply with the above restrictions, Smart card can be used on any taxi journey, at any time. There is no other restriction on the purpose of any individual trip taken under the scheme, the frequency of use or the distance traveled.

Yes, disability awareness training is provided.  It is generally accepted that driver training is needed to be certain a good quality service is maintained and that taxi operators are conscious of and responsive to the difficulties that people with disabilities face.

If you are not satisfied with the service given by the taxi company, you should contact the taxi company first. Otherwise call the Total Mobility Coordinator on 0800 884 880.

It's important that all parties involved in the Total Mobility scheme are seen to be following the policies and rules of the scheme. Any user or taxi company who does not runs the risk of not being able to be part of the scheme.

Total Mobility Terms and Conditions 2019

If you need more information about the Total Mobility scheme, contact us.