“Wheel-Trans Transformation Project” at TTC meeting today
Accessible transportation is on the agenda at today’s Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) board meeting. The “Wheel-Trans Transformation Project” (WTTP) will be one of several items reviewed at the meeting, scheduled to begin at 10am in Committee Room One.
Toronto has not yet addressed the fact that allowing 85,000 Vehicles for Hire to cruise its streets has annihilated its Wheelchair Accessible Taxi service. Beck Taxi’s Operations Manager Kristine Hubbard points out that she provided data to Toronto in July of 2024 indicating that by March of 2026, there will be virtually no Wheelchair Accessible Taxis left to service on-demand service calls.
“We had 200 vans during the Pan Am games in 2015. Now we have 58…by March of 2026, we will have maybe 6 or 8. None of the operators are replacing their vans.
“On the agenda for the September 10 TTC meeting is to look at the possibility of a centralized dispatch system using the existing Wheel Trans dispatch system, which is something that was asked of staff to look at in July of last year. They will probably get asked to look at it again.
By comparison, the City of Ottawa managed to reduce wait times for an on-demand Wheelchair Accessible Taxis from over 30 minutes to under 15 minutes in the past year, according to a June 23 staff report. During this period, the number of these trips taken increased by 21 per cent, from an average of 1,000 per month to 1,206.
Here are the stats (May 2024):
— Kristine Hubbard (@KristineHubbard) June 20, 2024
578 accessible plates
172 not in use (no vehicle)
47 to be replaced <1 yr
301 to be replaced <2 yrs
That leaves 58 wheelchair accessible vehicles that are in a stable place but likely a few dozen of those are dedicated to Wheel Trans. It’s over.
