Next month, voting for unified local elections will be held. Efforts to support the transportation of people who have difficulty traveling due to disabilities or illness to polling places by taxi are spreading in various places.
In Minamiawaji City, Hyogo Prefecture, we ask people to fill out an application form in advance for situations where it is difficult to walk, such as disabilities or illnesses, and if approved by the Election Committee, we will send you a taxi ticket that can be used on the day of the election along with the admission ticket.
Nursing care taxis are also available, and the city pays for the round-trip trip to the polling place, so they can be used free of charge.
Hideo Ikemoto, 7, who used a taxi during the House of Councillors election last July, has difficulty walking on his own and lives in a wheelchair at home.
Mr. Ikemoto said, "It is difficult to use public transportation in a wheelchair, so I am very grateful to be able to pick you up."
The new secretary general of the Minamiawaji City Election Management Committee Enomoto said, "There are still few users, but we would like to encourage them to use it through the city's public relations and other means."
Taxi mobility support is also being provided in Shimono City in Tochigi Prefecture and Toon City in Ehime Prefecture under different conditions, and initiatives are spreading in various places.