A key state disability advocate has said the government's new taxi subsidy scheme, to assist National Disability Insurance Scheme participants transition to transport supports offered under the program, does not go far enough.
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The government on Tuesday announced it would replace its safety net scheme for NDIS participants, due to end on June 30, with a new subsidy program.
This will be extended until the end of the full NDIS roll-out.
Those in receipt of the safety net subsidy will move to a new scheme from July which will offer up to $1000 in taxi travel for the first year and then $350 for each subsequent year until the end of December in 2023.
Tasmanian disability advocate Jane Wardlaw said current subsidy provided a 60 per cent subsidy on every maxi-taxi trip and the new supplement would impact about 25 per cent of people with disability who were fully dependent on this form of transport.
"Tasmanians who are dependent on the state's maxi-taxis for transport due to their significant disability will be at risk of being worse off and effectively shut out of their community," she said.
"This new supplement will make accessible taxi travel too expensive, and hence, people with profound disability will not be able to be a part of their community, effectively shut out of society, due to unaffordability.
"NDIS participants living with significant and profound disability can only access up to $2000 per annum from the National Disability Insurance Agency yet transport costs can exceed more than $6000 per year to $22,000 for those living remotely."
A state government spokesman said the National Disability Insurance Agency was essentially responsible for provision of a transport scheme for NDIS participants.
"However, as a national agreement has not yet been reached with states and territories, the state government has stepped in and provided additional funding," he said.
"This has filled a significant gap left by the NDIA for the past three years.
"For the majority of NDIS participants, the additional funding the government will provide is sufficient to meet their needs."
Labor's disability spokeswoman Joanna Siejka said the government needed to keep its commitment to the NDIS while transport issues remained unresolved at a federal level.
"The state government cannot walk away from the thousands of people with a disability who need support when it comes to their transport needs," she said.
People with disability who are not NDIS participants but used the Transport Access Scheme offered by the government will not have their subsidies impacted by the new plan.
