The Point to Point Transport Commision is currently leading the development of a WAV driver training program, to be rolled out in 2026.
Earlier this year we invited WAV service providers, disability groups and people with lived experience, to complete a survey on wheelchair accessible services in NSW. The survey’s purpose was to better understand their experiences and insights in relation to wheelchair accessible services and to help ensure the WAV driver training being developed is practical, effective, and addresses real-world experiences and needs.
The survey’s findings have already been instrumental in shaping the WAV driver training development by not only making safety the priority but also by focusing on the importance of communication when providing services to people travelling with wheelchairs.
Survey key findings
Sixty-one (61) people responded to the survey allowing us to gain a good sense of driver, passenger and community experiences and perceptions.
What should be a priority for drivers providing passenger services to people who travel with wheelchairs?
- Safety knowledge and competency: All drivers should have a thorough understanding of safety protocols and obligations and be competent on all aspects of boarding, securing and exiting a passenger travelling in a wheelchair in a WAV – such as seatbelts and wheelchair restraints.
- Safe driving: All drivers must be extra vigilant when driving a WAV. This includes taking corners slowly, going slowly avoid speed humps, avoiding sudden braking, avoiding road obstructions and generally taking extra care.
- Respect: All drivers should understand, and demonstrate, the importance of treating passengers travelling with wheelchairs with dignity and respect during every step in the process.
- Effective communication: All drivers should use clear, respectful and considered communication throughout the whole journey, including during the boarding, securing and exiting process, when driving, and especially before touching someone’s wheelchair.
What do you consider essential to be included in the WAV driver training course?
- Driver obligations: Survey participants identified that the training should include legal requirements and general driver obligations, as well as the extra requirements needed to drive a WAV. Safety must be the priority across all point to point transport passenger services.
- Lived experience: Survey participants suggested including people with lived experience of travelling with a wheelchair in the face-to-face, practical training modules, and to provide education for drivers around the different types of disabilities that they may come across.
- Effective training techniques: Survey participants noted that practical demonstrations, expert insights, discussions with experienced WAV drivers and real-life scenarios with wheelchair users were all effective training techniques.
This feedback from drivers, industry participants, people who travel with wheelchairs and disability groups is vital in providing an inclusive understanding of experiences of wheelchair passenger services and how we can use these experiences and observations to help develop the Commissioner’s WAV driving training course.
The Commissioner and his team thank everyone who shared their perspectives.
For further information on the WAV driver training project or to add any further insights, please reach out by email p2ptraining@transport.nsw.gov.au – we want to hear from you.