Total Mobility passenger transport

Nelson Tasman door-to-door transport services for people with disabilities

Total Mobility is a door-to-door passenger transport scheme designed to use regular taxi vehicles, passenger service operators, and modified taxis for wheelchair access. Its purpose is to increase the mobility of people with disabilities, so that they may access passenger transport in a similar fashion to others in the community.

In the Nelson and Tasman regions, the Nelson City Council administers the Total Mobility Scheme, with Tasman District Council making a contribution towards the budget. The local authorities fund the local share of the budget via rates, with the remainder coming from New Zealand Transport Agency funding.

The scheme entitles eligible people to receive a discount on their fare by way of a Total Mobility ID card subject to local conditions. The cards can be used in other regions of New Zealand where a local authority operates the scheme, subject to that authority's conditions. The current discount rate for Nelson-Tasman is 75% to a maximum discount of $22.50 per trip.

Nelson/Tasman have a capped fare of $30 that the subsidy applies to.

A local example of the subsidy is outlined below.

Any balance of a fare above $30 is 100% funded by the user

Area covered

Nelson Tasman Total Mobility operates within the regions administered by Nelson City Council and Tasman District Council:

• Northeast of Nelson City to the Marlborough District Council boundary at the Rai Saddle
• Nelson City and suburbs
• South including urban and rural Richmond, Hope, Brightwater and Wakefield to Buller District Council boundary south of Murchison
• Northwest to Mapua, Motueka and Golden Bay

Regions currently on Ridewise are:

• Auckland
• Bay of Plenty (from 4 November 2019)
• Canterbury
• Horizons (i.e. Manawatu/Horowhenua areas)
• Invercargill
• Nelson
• Marlborough
• Northland
• Otago
• Taranaki
• Waikato
• Wellington

 If members are travelling to places where Total Mobility exists outside of the above locations they will need to apply for an OUT OF TOWN total mobility voucher. This can be done by phoning Council or emailing enquiry@ncc.govt.nz

Who can use Total Mobility?

This scheme is only available to people with a disability which impairs their mobility to a level that stops them from using a public bus service or requires the constant assistance of another person. All applicants are assessed for eligibility by an agency approved by the Council.

An eligible person must have an impairment that prevents them from undertaking any one or more of the following five components of a journey unaccompanied, on a bus, train or ferry in a safe and dignified manner:

• Getting to the place from where the transport departs
• Getting onto the transport
• Riding securely
• Getting off transport
• Getting to the destination

Acceptable reasons could be inability or difficulty to:

• Walk 500 metres unaided, approximate distance from Nelson's clock tower up Trafalgar Street to Hardy Street
• Understand and follow directions, communicate clearly with others, read timetables and place names
• Understand and use available information to assist you to plan and undertake short journeys by public transport
• Enter and exit public transport safely unaided
• Taking responsibility for one’s own personal safety and dignity throughout the journey
• Handle money to purchase the required fare

How to join Total Mobility

The agencies listed below are responsible for assessing people’s eligibility to join the Total Mobility Scheme. We suggest you contact an agency that provides services for people with a similar disability to your own. They will carry out an assessment, and if deemed eligible, Nelson City Council will issue you with a photo ID card to be presented each time you travel. There is no charge for having an assessment.

Please note that being a member of a Total Mobility agency, having a disability and the fact that your area of Nelson City/Tasman District is not covered by a public bus service, does not automatically make you eligible for Total Mobility vouchers.

Approved Total Mobility agencies contact details

Participating transport services operators

Accessibility Concession

Nelson City and Tasman District Councils are really excited about providing this free service. It will provide more travel options for our community members who are permanently unable to drive.

In addition to free travel for the card holder, this Accessibility Concession may provide free transport for their “plus one companion”. A “plus one companion” is the support person for card holders who are unable to travel independently by bus.

The Accessibility Concession aims to provide greater independence, flexibility and make travel more accessible.

The Accessibility Concession will be loaded onto a Bee Card, so you just need to tag-on and tag-off the bus (scan your card when getting on or off the bus).

To be able to use this concession need to link your Ridewise card (which has photo ID) to a Bee Card. You can do this by bringing your Ridewise card to Nelson City Council’s customer service centre at 110 Trafalgar Street.

If you do not have a Bee Card, you can buy one for $5 from the service centre. You can then load your details onto the card so you can get free travel. A sticker will be placed onto your Bee card but you must still scan the card on the machines as you enter and exit a bus. The driver may request to see your RIDEWISE card, so we recommend you carry this with you.

If your needs are such that you require a support person with you to use the bus, then we will load that information onto your Bee card. That support person will travel for free (they will not need a Bee card).

If you have any questions, then please call Nelson City Council Customer Services on 03 546 0200.

Mobility Parking Permit

The Mobility Parking Permit is a different scheme CCS Disability Action Nelson Marlborough. Find out more on our Mobility Parking Permit page.

Find out more

Please see our Frequently Asked Questions or more information or assistance contact enquiry@ncc.govt.nz or call  546 0200.

Downloads

• Nelson City Council Total Mobility Terms and Conditions (277KB PDF)