Objective
The impact of COVID-19 in public transport on people with disabilities has been assessed in Dar Es Salaam, Kagera and Zanzibar, where the density of people with disabilities is highest in Tanzania.
Potential impact
Guidelines for transport companies to help reduce the risk and impact of Covid-19 on people with disabilities who depend on public transport for their mobility.
COVID-19 Challenge
COVID-19 presents a serious risk to the 4.2 million people in Tanzania living with disabilities, 80% of them with mobility restrictions due to age, gender and other circumstances. This makes people with disabilities more vulnerable to COVID-19 than the general public.
The study examined mobility styles and travel behaviour of people with disabilities. This has provided data input to inform stakeholders and policymakers and thus contribute to improve planning and interventions to sustain people with disabilities in crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Approach
Working with national and international partners and transport institutions, we studied the mobility of women, children and elderly people with disabilities and how they access services, such as homes, schools, healthcare facilities and workplaces during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We identified the impacts of and responses to COVID 19 on the mobility of people with disabilities. Based on our findings, a policy brief was drafted to help stakeholders in the participating countries to plan to improve the mobility of people with disabilities.
Outcome
Guidelines and measures were developed to reduce and/or mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with disabilities who depend on public transport.
These guidelines have been disseminated to people with disabilities as well as to public transport companies in Dar es Salaam, Kagera and Zanzibar regions via the Tanzania Federation of Disabled People’s Organisations (SHIVYAWATA) and the National Disability Council. To reach public transport companies, the findings were disseminated directly to the National Institute of Transport, a key link to the National Public Transport Network.
The study findings have also been disseminated to the ministry responsible for Transport and Inclusion and to the Commission for Human Rights and Good Governance.