Pre-booked vs on-demand Accessible services
Toronto staff to conduct feasibility study on centralized dispatch
The September 10th Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) Committee meeting addressed the topic of creating one centralized dispatch for both pre-booked and on-demand Accessible services.
While the Committee accepted report recommendations that staff proceed with a feasiblity study on a single centralized dispatch, some meeting participants did not appear to recognize that there are two distinct categories of Accessible service in Toronto: “pre-booked” and “on-demand.” While the pre-booked category of services is mostly running smoothly under the TTC, it is the on-demand services which are failing since hundreds of Taxi operators can no longer afford to keep their Accessible vans on the road as they compete with 85,000 rideshare vehicles. Provision of on-demand services is a requirement of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005.
The chart compiled below is meant to contrast the two forms of service:
| Pre-booked Wheel-Trans Accessible service (for TTC approved clients only) | On-demand Accessible Taxi service for any client |
| -Vehicles may be owned by TTC or Taxis contracted to TTC; taxpayers subsidize these trips by paying costs above the TTC fare. | -Vehicles owned and operated by individual, private-sector Taxi operators. Taxpayers do not subsidize these trips. |
| -“Occasional” trips must be booked at least four hours in advance by contacting TTC Wheel-Trans through its website, phone number, or App -Advanced and Same-Day Trips may be booked from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Trip Confirmation/Cancellation are possible between 5 a.m. to 2 a.m. | -Accessible vehicle is dispatched by participating Taxi company when the client calls or uses the company’s App to request a ride, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. |
| -Client pays the regular TTC fare. Payment is by PRESTO card, PRESTO ticket, debit or credit card, tickets, tokens, or exact cash. | -Client pays regular, metered Taxi fare |
| -Client cannot generally change plans, add stops, or make new plans at the last minute | -Client is free to make “on-demand” changes to times or routes |
| -Tourists or visitors to Toronto cannot use Wheel-Trans services as they are not approved by TTC | -Tourists and visitors to Toronto are free to use on-demand accessible Taxi services by calling a participating Taxi company or booking through its App |
| -Wheel-Trans bookings are available during slightly limited hours for clients to can contact them to book. With 24 hours notice, clients can be picked up anytime. | -Clients can book on-demand Taxi services 24 hours per day, as Taxi services are available. This is more convenient for those attending social events or activities for which they do not have precise control over the timing of pick-up. |
| -Wheel-Trans rides are managed by the TTC which tracks the location and availability of every Wheel-Trans vehicle. TTC has some of the dispatch but most is outsourced to Telus. The majority of Wheel-Trans dispatch work is done by contracted Taxi services which have their own 24/7 call centers; these are not for use by individiual Wheel-Trans clients at present. | -On-demand Accessible Taxi services are not booked through one central dispatch but by each individual Taxi brokerage. Since Toronto legalized 85,000 rideshare vehicles, hundreds of Accessible operators have had to remove their vans from service. This results in wasted time and disappointment for clients who must call around to brokerages to find one with an available Accessible vehicle, if they can. |
Taxi News briefing notes are created in an effort to provide stakeholders with a basic understanding of how the Taxi industry functions, as it has evolved over the past century in Canada. Every effort has been made to confirm the accuracy of the information; however, if you find an error of discrepancy, please notify Taxi News by email at ritasmith@taxinews.com
