HUNTER: Accessible transportation — a vehicle for equality

When there is a choice between using an accessible taxi to pick up a regular fare versus a ride called by someone with limited mobility who is using taxi savers or supplements, the driver will most often choose the regular fare. Having an accessible taxi doesn’t necessarily translate into increased access to transportation.

In addition to these challenges, taxicab drivers are not always trained to handle passengers with accessibility challenges, which can result in safety issues.

The province intends to launch three additional funding streams over the next two years focused on reducing the cost of operating, purchasing and converting wheelchair-accessible taxis, and providing training to better support the passengers who rely on them. Whether or not this will result in a meaningful increase in access remains undetermined.

Another issue is requiring taxi companies to apply for the funding and prove they meet all of the eligibility requirements – which appears to be a time-consuming request. Asking people to do more work hardly ever results in incentivizing engagement. A more direct way to go about this would be to include the requirements in the compliance metrics managed by the Passenger Transportation Board.

So what could make an impactful difference?

Expansion of taxi savers and supplements to other types of transportation options like ride-hailing services or a private company or organization with the equipment and trained drivers. This is especially important given BC Transit is increasing paratransit hours by providing more vouchers instead of adding more HandiDART buses. When I asked BC Transit the reason, I was told “the demand is being met by the current service levels”.

This is a maddening response given people don’t use paratransit because of its limited hours –meaning there would be more use if the service was more flexible and operated when people want to move around. This chicken and egg approach to determining service levels and the method of providing service results in this feedback loop to nowhere.

People aren’t using the HandiDART because it is limited in hours of operation and in how it can be used. It must be booked in advance and can only be used for specific purposes – which doesn’t include social or work.

Part of this is due to the high cost of delivering paratransit service. In order for it to be as financially sustainable as possible, routes are planned to pick up and service as many people in one trip as possible. This requires trips to be arranged well ahead of time – in many cases, at least 24 hours ahead.

This places constraints on what a passenger is able to do. For example, if you took paratransit to work but were then invited to an after-work dinner with colleagues, your options would be to find your own ride home or not attend. Paratransit scheduling doesn’t allow for spontaneous events or adding a last-minute errand like picking up a prescription after a doctor’s appointment.

Why is this important? If we are striving for an inclusive community, we need to remove barriers to people participating in our communities – and this includes access to employment.

Not moving to support equitable access to transportation options creates a social inequity, separating those who are able to move around unassisted from those who are not.

I know there will be those out there who will be quick to point out many of the city buses are accessible. I don’t disagree. I will however, share the experience many with mobility limitations have had trying to ride the bus including buses being too full to accommodate a wheelchair (especially at peak hours when people may be traveling to/from work or school), drivers not willing to wait for people in chairs to secure themselves, inability to access bus stops in the winter, moving around in general in the winter, and inadequate accessible paths to and from transit exchanges or stops. Have you ever tried to wheel yourself from the downtown or TRU transit exchange? Both have some significantly steep slopes which make actually getting to and from the stops extremely challenging.

These, and other, challenges are highlighted in a 2015 article by the Rick Hansen Foundation. Even though the content is almost a decade old, not a lot has changed. I’ve personally been in a wheelchair and/or used mobility aids a number of times over the last 20 years and can say progress in addressing these challenges is painfully slow. I think until people experience these challenges themselves, they are easy to ignore.

This funding is a small step in the right direction, but it won’t solve these very important challenges around accessible transportation. An integrated and holistic approach is required by the provincial government to move towards true social equality in the realm of accessible transportation.

Some examples of this in action can be found in a 2022 study of community-based seniors’ transportation in BC. Many of the private service providers profiled also provide transportation to those with limited mobility. The single most impactful thing they would all benefit from is core funding from the provincial government to continue providing this essential service.

I know this request has been made to the province through a variety of channels including the Union of BC Municipalities, individual communities, service agencies, and not-for-profit organizations. I hope Minister Fleming takes this into consideration when rolling out future funding pots and policies, and that the rollout happens sooner than later, people have been waiting far too long for equal access.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.

by Sadie Hunter

HUNTER: Accessible transportation — a vehicle for equality

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