South Karelia woman loses taxi transport to her hobbies

A woman with an intellectual disability in South Karelia has lost access to taxi transport for her hobbies under a change in services, leaving each visit to a 45-minute activity to take four hours, Yle reports. Her mother, Riitta Kuukka, says she has appealed the decision.

Kuukka now drives her adult daughter from Taipalsaari to Lappeenranta twice a week. Until a couple of years ago, her daughter used transport provided under disability services and could take a taxi to her activities. The journey took about 10 minutes each way.

The wellbeing services county has instead provided a personal assistant to accompany her daughter on the bus. Kuukka says the time spent travelling and waiting has turned a 45-minute activity into a four-hour outing. She says the county is shifting responsibility for transport to parents.

Kuukka’s latest request for the decision to be reconsidered was rejected, and she has taken the case to an administrative court. The case has not yet been decided.

Public transport is the first option under the new law

The Disability Services Act came into force at the start of 2025. Anne-Maarit Paunonen, who leads housing and disability services for the South Karelia wellbeing services county, said the law has allowed transport services to be reduced or withdrawn. The county does not have figures for how many people have been affected.

Under the new law, public transport is the primary option. A person with a disability may receive training or personal assistance to use it, Paunonen said. Taxi transport is no longer automatically granted to everyone.

Kuukka questions whether the decision saves money, saying that providing an assistant for four hours could cost the county more than a return taxi journey.

Association reports frequent taxi problems

Mervi Hendunen, chair of the Lappeenranta Support Association for People with Intellectual Disabilities, said some people in the region have lost taxi transport they previously received. She also said taxis are sometimes late, fail to arrive or are unavailable.

Hendunen recalled an incident last winter when a young person with an intellectual disability waited for a taxi in temperatures of 25 degrees below zero. After waiting for half an hour and calling the dispatch service three times, Hendunen drove the young person home herself.

The South Karelia wellbeing services county says its transport service generally works well and that most journeys are completed successfully. Jussi Kaurala, the county’s head of logistics and materials management, said it receives around five to 10 pieces of feedback each month through official channels. The feedback covers all passenger transport services, used by 10,000 to 11,000 people.

Transport under the Disability Services Act in South Karelia is arranged through Taksi Helsinki, with local drivers. The county says problems are concentrated during busy periods.