Refusing to allow someone to travel on the grounds of their disability could be
outlawed under proposals outlined in a new consultation.
The consultation invites views on whether transport services should be subject
to anti-discrimination legislation, and whether the current exemptions in Part
III of the Disability Discrimination Act should be lifted.
It proposes to:
- make it unlawful to provide a lower standard of service to disabled
people and refuse to provide services on the ground of disability;
- require operators to review working practices, policies and procedures
that make it impossible or unreasonably difficult for a disabled person to
use transport services.
Transport Minister David Jamieson said:
"This consultation is another step in delivering the government's commitment
to providing a better quality of life for disabled people.
"It is unacceptable that transport operators can still lawfully deny a person
access to a vehicle for no other reason than that person is disabled.
"Whilst this sort of discrimination is becoming rarer, best practice is not
universal. Removing the exemption will give disabled people the right to challenge
transport operators to improve their services."
The consultation runs from 29 November 2002 to 28 February 2003.
