The inclusion of disabled persons’ accessibility in legislation and policies governing sea and air transportation is yet to be formulated despite the 2013 Constitution capturing the rights of persons with disabilities to reasonable access on all public transportation.
This was stated in the Review of the Performance Audit on the Access for Persons with Disabilities to Public Offices and Public Transport by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) tabled in Parliament on Monday.
The PAC stated the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, which came into effect on March 21, 2018, also addressed the legislation relating directly to persons with disabilities in Fiji.
“In 2015, amendments to LTA (Land Transport Authority) regulations relating to public service vehicles saw a promising outcome, with specific requirements to include disability-friendly features in public service vehicles.”
The committee noted the lack of effective enforcement of the legislation that aimed to address barriers for disabled accessibility to public service vehicles, weak collaboration and lack of awareness.
“Inclusion of disabled accessibility in legislation and policies governing sea and air transportation are yet to be formulated.”
The committee stated the barriers of accessibility to public transportation was adequately addressed in the new Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2018 as it included access to transportation as part of the overall legislation on disability rights which was a step towards improving access.
