An agreement has been signed between the Municipality and some taxi drivers in the city for the creation of a service to support the mobility of totally blind, partially blind and partially sighted residents in the city.
The agreement provides that the Municipality will make available to those entitled “taxi vouchers” worth €6.00 (€5.00 paid by the Municipality and €1.00 paid by the taxi driver) to partially cover the cost of the ‘purchase of races.
Each beneficiary, after having submitted the application to the Municipality with the documentation certifying the disability attached, will be entitled to a maximum of 50 vouchers per year which will be spendable on journeys carried out both within the municipal territory and outside and which can be cumulated in a maximum number of 3 ( if the cost of the ride exceeds that of the vouchers, the sum will be integrated by the beneficiary).
The Municipality will make available the sum of €7,500 for the disbursement of 1,500 nominative vouchers. The initiative was promoted by the Administration also on the proposal of the Italian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired.
“From July it will be possible to send the application using a form which will be available both in paper and digital format on the Municipality’s website; I thank the taxi drivers who offered their availability, making a very important gesture of concrete solidarity, we do not rule out increasing the available budget in the future and also involving the municipalities of the Olona Valley in the service. And together with the Italian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired, we are studying a handbook to help them be increasingly independent when traveling” states the councilor for social inclusion Paola Reguzzoni.
The contribution amount paid by the Municipality will be paid to each taxi driver following a reimbursement request submitted monthly, attaching the taxi vouchers delivered by the users.
The Disability Manager of the Municipality of Busto Arsizio expressed a positive opinion on this.
