50% decrease in wait time for Ottawa wheelchair Taxi
On-demand service wait drops from 30 minutes to under 15
The wait time for an on-demand Wheelchair Accessible Taxi in Ottawa decreased from over 30 minutes to under 15 minutes in the past year, according to a June 23 staff report. The number of these trips taken increased by 21 per cent, from an average of 1,000 per month to 1,206.
As part of his June 23, 2025 Report to Emergency Preparedness and Protective Services Committee, Director, By-law and Regulatory Services Roger Chapman and his team presented statistics resulting from the pilot project launched in 2024.
Between April 8, 2024, and March 31, 2025, wait times for on-demand wheelchair accessible Taxis decreased from 30 or more minutes to an average of 9 to 15 minutes during peak hours. Licensing enforcement staff conducted twenty-five field audits (test rides) resulting in a 95 per cent compliance rate, with less than one per cent of on-demand trips resulting in any complaint.
“Under the previous Transpo system, I would have the phone to my ear for half an hour waiting to book a ride,” says WAV user Sheila Brown. “Then, if I got to one meeting and the group was headed somewhere else, I’d have to do it all again…there was a limit to three bookings per day, which became a real problem,” explains Brown, who worked for years as part of a busy community group.
“Now, the App is so convenient and the driver often arrives so quickly, I find I’m not ready when he arrives – I have to get out of the habit of making an early appointment.” She estimates her previous wait time of more than half an hour is now less than half of that.
“This is very exciting news, and I am proud to be part of a growing industry where we are moving in the direction of being able to offer service to our accessible community at the same level as all Taxi users,” says Coventry Connections Manager Tracy Moroziuk, who works closely with the Wheelchair Accessible Van team.
The On-Demand Accessible Taxicab Service Study approved by Council tasked staff with developing, negotiating and implementing a three-year accessible Taxi incentive and dispatching pilot to bolster the number accessibility Taxis on the road.
The pilot includes a centralized dispatch dedicated to on-demand accessible Taxicabs and financial incentives that recognize the higher costs of operating an accessible Taxicab. Incentives being tested include:
· A $15 per trip contribution to the driver for each completed on-demand wheelchair accessible fare;
· Up to $5,000 per year for three years for each accessible Taxicab plate holder licensee or vehicle owner for investment in a fully wheelchair accessible vehicle; and,
· Up to $2,000 per year for each accessible Taxicab driver for fulfilling criteria prescribed by the Chief License Inspector.
The pilot commenced on April 8, 2024. For the near-twelve-month period from April 8 to March 31, 2025, there were 14,471 on-demand accessible Taxicab trips completed under the program, representing approximately 1,206 rides per month, or an increase of approximately 21per cent in the monthly accessible capacity. This is based on industry information for the four years prior to the pilot program of an average of 1,000 rides per month.
In the first seven months of the pilot, there had been an increase of three active accessible Taxis available for service, for a total of 77. However, supplier Coventry Connections recently introduced additional fully accessible Taxi vans using standard plate holder licenses, in compliance with the by-law, resulting in approximately 15 additional accessible Taxis available for service, bringing the total supply to 91 vehicles.
