We can’t fund vehicle modifications if another organisation is responsible for funding or providing this support.
For example, we wouldn’t fund modifications to a public vehicle.
Your state or territory government, local council, and other organisations have responsibilities to support you with transport options.
These include changes to remove barriers you may face because of your disability.
This is to ensure you receive the same services as everyone else. These are called reasonable adjustments .
Examples of reasonable adjustments that can be made to help you use the transport system are:
- accessible taxis
- accessible (lowering) buses
- help to access trains (driver provision of portable ramp)
- ramps and stairway lifts to train, tram, ferry, or bus platforms
- tactile paths so you can feel your way around
- automatic doors.
For example, many councils have community buses that people in the community can use.
Many of these buses have had reasonable adjustments made to them. This means most people with a disability can use them.
We wouldn’t pay for modifications to a community bus.
Your local council would fund this under their community transport program.
If your council doesn’t provide community transport, they may have a disability inclusion officer you can talk to.
You can ask the disability inclusion officer about the reasonable adjustments made by the council.
The Australian Government provides funding through the Employment Assistance Fund to cover the costs of making workplace changes so you can do your job.
As part of this, the Employment Assistance Fund can help with modifications to vehicles used for work purposes.
We wouldn’t fund vehicle modifications if funding was available through the Employment Assistance Fund to cover these modifications.
Your My NDIS contact or support coordinator can help you to find other supports in the community.
Is the vehicle modification legal and safe?
We can only fund a vehicle modification that is safe and legal for you to use. We can’t fund a support if it’s likely to cause harm to you or others.
The vehicle modification must be legal in the state or territory where you live and where the vehicle is registered.
We can’t fund supports that are against the law.
It’s your responsibility to get advice on whether the modification is legal and safe for you.
Most assistive technology used in vehicles is higher risk.
People can be injured by these items when they are not used or set up correctly.
For more information about what you need to do before you buy your assistive technology and what we mean by risk, check out Our Guideline – Assistive technology.
You can also check out our Factsheet – Understand assistive technology evidence, advice, assessments and quotes .
Structural, restraint or control modifications to new or second hand vehicles
For modifications to new or second hand vehicles, we need to know the vehicle and modifications you want are safe and appropriate for you.
To do this, you’ll need to give us evidence or a vehicle modification assessment from your occupational therapist or suitably qualified assessor.
This will explain what modifications you need and how they’ll work for you. We’ll fund the cost of this assessment in your capacity building supports budget.
We’ll also need to know:
- you’ll be able to register the vehicle with your state or territory government once the modifications are complete
- you’ll be able to give us an engineering certificate or authorisation report from a licensed vehicle modifier or certifier (to permit registration with the transport authority) when the modifications are complete.
The engineering certificate or authorisation report must confirm your vehicle is suitable to have the proposed modifications completed.
It will also need to confirm the modifications meet the Australian standards and rules relevant in your state or territory.
We’ll fund this engineering certificate or authorisation report. You shouldn’t make a final payment until you receive the certificate or report.
Existing imported or factory fitted modifications
We need to know vehicle modifications already installed in a vehicle, or modifications factory fitted in an imported vehicle, are legal, safe, and appropriate for you.
Foreign imported vehicles that are factory fitted with modifications may not meet Australian standards for vehicle registration.
To confirm these modifications are legal and safe for you, you’ll need to give us:
- evidence or a vehicle modification assessment from your occupational therapist or suitably qualified assessor. This will explain what modifications you need and how they’ll work for you. We’ll fund the cost of this assessment in your capacity building supports budget
- an engineering certificate or authorisation report from a licensed vehicle modifier or certifier, before we can decide whether to fund your vehicle modification support.
The engineering certificate or authorisation report must confirm the modifications meet Australian standards and rules relevant in your state or territory. You’ll need to fund this, unless a valid certificate or report is already available.
You can find out more about what you need to do to register modified vehicles in your state or territory.
When you register your vehicle, you’ll need to give your registration authority a copy of the engineering certificate or authorisation report.
Your licensed vehicle modifier will give you the certificate or report.