Navigating Disability

Redesigning Access: How Robbie Phelan Is Rebuilding Transport for Everyone

Kate Read

This week on Navigating Disability, we’re joined by Robbie Phelan—carpenter by trade, changemaker by mission, and Director and Founder of Modular Transport Access Solutions (MODTAS). Based in Melbourne, Robbie is leading a quiet revolution in transport accessibility—and it all started with a personal tragedy and a simple idea.

After witnessing preventable incidents on public transport and reflecting on the loss of a family member, Robbie created an innovative ramp system designed to close the dangerous—and often overlooked—gap between platforms and trains/trams. What began as a grassroots invention has evolved into a full-scale mission to give people with disabilities, parents with prams, the elderly, and others the freedom to travel independently and safely.

Robbie’s journey is a powerful example of how one person’s persistence can disrupt the status quo and create real, lasting change. 

🎧 Tap play for a dose of hope and advocacy—and discover how we can all contribute to an accessible future.
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