In line with the Tokyo Paralympics, which will end on the 5th, the country, which has promoted barrier-free access, plans to increase the number of taxis designed to be easy for wheelchair users to 90,000 over the next five years to accelerate efforts.
However, there have been a series of refusals to board wheelchair users, and in addition to improving hardware, operational efforts have become an issue after the Games.
At the time of the Tokyo 2020 Games, barrier-free access to major railway stations and roads was promoted, and in the taxi industry, "universal design taxis" designed to be easy for wheelchair users to ride spread, and the number before the bid was decided. It has increased from about 100 units to about 21,700 units in FY2019.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism will try to accelerate the introduction in rural areas after the Tokyo Games, and will increase it to about 25% of taxis in each prefecture in the next five years, and increase it to about 90,000 including welfare taxis. It is a policy.
On the other hand, there are a number of cases where wheelchair users are denied boarding, and the national government has issued 36 administrative sanctions and guidance to taxi operators from FY2017 to last year.
Some businesses have set additional charges for wheelchair users to assist in getting on and off, which is prohibited by the Road Transport Law. We have issued a notice requesting the handling of.
As the development of hardware is accelerating with the Tokyo Games as an opportunity, in the future ▽ In addition to enhancing training for businesses and drivers for knowledge acquisition and awareness reform, ▽ People with disabilities such as vehicle improvement and development The challenge is to work toward operations that are easy to use.
Taxi company that started new training
With the acceleration of barrier-free hardware after the Tokyo Games, some taxi companies have started new training so that they can operate properly in actual situations.
A taxi company in Aichi Prefecture misunderstood that when an electric wheelchair user wanted to take a "universal design taxi" near the taxi stand at a station last August, the driver could not take it due to its weight. Because I refused to board the taxi, I received an administrative punishment from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
It is said that the company had been practicing the use of wheelchairs until then, but in response to this incident, ▽ increased training opportunities so that all drivers can practice twice a year, ▽ electric wheelchairs. We have also created our own manual that summarizes the procedure for getting on and off the wheelchair with photos.
During the Paralympic Games, practical training was held at the sales office, and while local welfare organization staff also participated for the first time, about 20 drivers learned practically how to get on and off using an electric wheelchair prepared by the organization. I was there.
This was the first time I had practiced using an electric wheelchair, and there were some scenes where I made a mistake in the procedure due to impatience, or the tightening of the fixing belt was insufficient.
The staff of the group
advised that ▽
do not push in with
force when getting on the vehicle on the slope
,
▽ talk diligently so that the
user does not become anxious,
▽ specific points when handling the wheelchair, etc. He said, "Wheelchair users have high hopes that taxis will broaden their lives, so I hope they will deepen their understanding."
The drivers who participated said, "I hurriedly forgot the procedure because I had to make it faster when I actually tried it. I want to practice regularly to eliminate anxiety." I want people with disabilities to use it safely, comfortably, and without hesitation. "
Mizutake Kato, general manager of the taxi division, said, "I'm sorry I refused to board the taxi before. With the cooperation of welfare organizations, I got used to the driver through practical training and refused to board the taxi in the future. As the number of UD taxis increases due to the Tokyo tournament, as a member of public transportation, we pursue a symbiotic society so that all people with and without disabilities can move more. I want to go. "
Disability group "People with and without disabilities are on the same vehicle"
Organizations made up of people with disabilities say that it is important to take the momentum toward a symbiotic society that has increased at the Tokyo Games to the next level.
A survey of wheelchair users about "universal design taxi" by the "DPI Japan Conference", an organization made up of people with disabilities, found that 32 out of 120 cases, or 27%, were refused boarding. It means that.
In interviews with users,
▽ Toka correspondence was smoothly driver not know the procedure,
▽ while there were also voices such as were kind,
way without ▽ have undergone the training, put the In some cases, I was told that I didn't understand, or that I wasn't
allowed to get on and off the wheelchair because it took a long time.
The group says that the process of folding seats and preparing slopes when boarding is complicated, and there is also the problem that the burden on the driver is heavy, so it is also requesting automobile manufacturers to improve and develop.
Satoshi Sato, the secretary general of the "DPI Japan Conference," who also uses a wheelchair, said, "The number of universal design taxis has increased significantly since the Tokyo Games, and it has become a daily sight to see in the city, making it more convenient. However, there are still refusals to board the taxi, and it is still difficult to use, so I would like the business operators to repeat the training so that they can understand the thoughts of the parties concerned. "
On top of that, "I think it is a society where people with and without disabilities can ride the same vehicle, work in the same way at the company, and learn at school. At the Tokyo Games, awareness of barrier-free and symbiotic society It was an opportunity to expand and create a society where we can live together. I think it is important to tackle the remaining issues in order to continue and move forward without stopping. " increase.