When Kathryn Eckhert wants to travel anywhere beyond her front door, she must rely on either her husband, Tony Eckhert, or a third-party taxi service.
But for the past eight months, whenever the couple books the one wheelchair taxi in town, it never shows up.
The loss of the vital service has fundamentally affected Ms Eckert’s independence.
Ms Eckert, 58, lives with Friedreich’s ataxia, a genetic neurological disorder that has made her reliant on a wheelchair since 1998.
Tony and Kathryn say the shortage restricts their ability to socialise. (ABC Broken Hill: Oliver Brown)
She was previously able to get in and out of regular vehicles with little to no aid.
But the degenerative nature of Friedreich’s has meant her speech and her mobility have been affected, to the point she is no longer able to operate her own wheelchair.
“We haven’t been able to get the local wheelchair taxi since March this year,” Mr Eckert said.
“It’s off the road and the only story we’ve got is it’s awaiting repairs.”
While the NDIS has paid to make the couple’s own vehicle wheelchair accessible, without Mr Eckert to drive it, Ms Eckert has no way of leaving the house on her own.
Taking a regular taxi to the pub together to enjoy a night out is also out of the question.
Mr Eckert says the 13CABS phone booking service seems unaware of the accessible vehicle’s availability in Broken Hill. (ABC Broken Hill: Oliver Brown)
“We’ve got no flexibility on when we want to do things … if Kathryn wants to do things during the week, I’ve got to take time off work to help her,” Mr Eckert said.
“If we want to go out and relax like normal people [at the pub], I’ve got to be sensible [because I’m driving].”
Waiting on a ghost taxi
In the past, the Eckerts would book a wheelchair-accessible taxi through 13CABS, but after repeated attempts to book one, they have given up.
Beyond the disappointment of the diminishing availability of wheelchair-accessible vehicles, Mr Eckert said the lack of communication from the company meant Broken Hill customers could still book an accessible taxi, but it would not show up.
“You don’t find out you’re not gonna get an access cab until just before the appointment when they realise they can’t get one,” Mr Eckert said.
Kathryn Eckert has been unable to use the city’s only wheelchair-accessible taxi for more than six months. (ABC Broken Hill: Oliver Brown)
“In this wonderful modern technology age, it’s [actually] getting harder to find things out.
“These walls … are put up between you and the [taxi] operator, [so] you can’t say, ‘Well what’s going on, mate? When can we expect it?'”
Not an easy fix
After months of no answers, Mr Eckert eventually took his concerns to the NSW taxi regulator.
Point to Point Transport Commissioner Anthony Wing said the “one wheelchair taxi in Broken Hill” was “off the road at the moment for repairs”.
He said wheelchair-accessible transport providers faced several barriers in communities like Broken Hill.
“As you can imagine, repairing a wheelchair vehicle with its hoists and its special equipment in the back isn’t something you can just take down to the local [mechanic], you’ve got to find a specialist,” Mr Wing said.
Anthony Wing says the wheelchair taxi shortage is not exclusive to Broken Hill. (Supplied: NSW Point to Point Transport Commission)
“They have [also] had trouble attracting drivers for it in recent times as well, so when they have had a driver, the driver is tending to work a single shift.”
However, Mr Wing said he would expect a company with a vehicle off the road to keep its customer base informed.
“That would be quite irritating, I imagine, if you are expecting one to come and don’t make other arrangements and it doesn’t come,” he said.
“So we will talk to the taxi company and make sure that they make that clear.”
The ABC contacted 13CABS for comment and was informed that the taxi service in Broken Hill was managed by a local bureau.
The ABC also made attempts to seek clarification from the local operator about the status of its wheelchair-accessible taxi and did not receive a response.
Attempts to fill the gaps
While there are some businesses like rideshares with wheelchair-accessible vehicles in Broken Hill, most only operate within specified hours and are limited in the type of clients they can assist.
The Eckert’s have their own wheelchair-accessible vehicle, but Kathryn needs a taxi when her husband cannot drive her. (ABC Broken Hill: Oliver Brown)
Former registered nurse and NDIS worker Steve Kebblewhite said he found the shortage so profound when he moved to the city last year, he decided to buy a second-hand wheelchair-accessible vehicle to help fill the service gap.
He said he had been inundated with clients since launching a couple of months ago.
Mr Kebblewhite said people had told him the 13CABS wheelchair taxi had once been so busy it “didn’t stop”.
Steve Kebblewhite believes everyone should have reliable access to point-to-point transport. (ABC Broken Hill: Oliver Brown)
He said he was surprised that maintaining a service that was so in demand in Broken Hill was not a priority for the company.
“Especially in an area like Broken Hill where we need services,” Mr Kebblewhite said.
While the state government recently rolled out a $15 million package for drivers and operators to try and increase wheelchair-accessible vehicles on the road, Mr Kebblewhite said the package was more of a “stopgap”.
“It’s great the government’s doing it [but] the amounts they’re offering to me wouldn’t do anything to maintain the service or encourage me into the industry,” he said.
“We haven’t seen any incentives yet that would say, ‘Go out and spend $70,000 on a van, start this service.'”
