Leadership is needed to remove all barriers to taxi service

October 2, 2013 · 0 Comments

By Brock Weir

Aurora should show “leadership” in making sure everyone has equal access to taxi cabs.

That is the message brought to Council last week by advocates for accessibility for people with disabilities. It was also a message picked up by many Councillors.

Aurora currently has two licensed taxis licensed by the Town which have ramps and lifts to make them fully accessible to people in wheelchairs. Under provincial guidelines, the Town can issue one license for an accessible cab for every 10,000 people in a municipality. For a Town of over 55,000 that leaves Aurora at least three cabs short on paper. Demand, however, is just not there, according to Techa Van Leeuwen, Aurora’s Director of Bylaw.

Ms. Van Leeuwen commented after Councillors highlighted these concerns at the table. The discussion followed four delegations and presentations to Council on a myriad of accessibility issues ranging from a Vaughan-based company building specially designed accessible vehicles, to a representative from Spinal Cord Injury Ontario.

“There are two accessible cabs in Aurora and they cannot be used in an on-demand service because they don’t meet the demand,” said Peter Athanasopoulos of Spinal Cord Injury Ontario. “People deserve equal opportunity and equal rights to be able to live full, participating lives, just as we all do.”

Mr. Athanasopoulos told Council about his own journey with a spinal cord injury nearly 20 years ago. It has taken years to “rekindle the passion for life” after losing independence. Discovering his independence once again, he said, was a cornerstone in recovering that passion.

“I believe spontaneity should be part of rekindling that passion for life,” he said of being able to dial a ride. “I really believe if we work together to grow that political will and create an inclusive Ontario by 2015, we will become global leaders.

His comments followed a delegation to Council by Peter Grande, president of MV-1, a Vaughan-based company constructing purpose-built vehicles to accommodate wheelchair and other accessibility needs. As The Auroran reported last week, they have made inroads in Manitoba and Quebec, and now have a number of their vehicles in a Bracebridge taxi fleet.

Mr. Grande argued his product is a more practical solution for mobility users as they are purpose built rather than reconstructed minivan accommodating ramps and lifts.

“For taxis, it allows for flexibility and improvement of service and it is a nice mix of fleet vehicles,” said Mr. Grande. “Every person in this Town has the right to equal access to transportation to help them become valuable members of our community and transportation is the biggest barrier in this regard.”

The apparent lack of accessible taxis licensed by the Town of Aurora – not including private operators – has long been a concern of Aurora’s Accessibility Advisory Committee. Committee member Councillor Wendy Gaertner said she agreed there was an issue and wanted solutions. This was echoed by Councillor John Abel.

“It is incumbent upon us to show some leadership and provide some information going forward so that if someone wants to go out for a movie or join someone for dinner, they don’t have to plan a week ahead,” he said. “Spontaneity and the ability to move forward at an affordable rate is why I am moving this forward.”

A plus in Aurora’s situation is that Town bylaws require the two licensed taxis to charge the same rates as standard taxis throughout the municipality. That is something that is mandated by the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, said Ms. Van Leeuwen, but others in the crowd said that while this may be mandated, it might not always be enforced.

“Somebody who takes the taxis has been shaking their head vigorously ‘no’ in the audience,” said Councillor Gaertner. “The point is I think we need to improve what is available to the residents. Mobility Plus is a great service. I think it has a lot of issues that the patrons have spoken endlessly about at the Accessibility Advisory Committee and anything we can do as a Council and staff to make the transportation more available, more respectful, and affordable we would all appreciate.”

Councillor Abel agreed that while cost might be regulated under the bylaw, it does “not exist on a day to day basis” and said he had the receipts to prove it. Councillor Chris Ballard, on the other hand, said if there are issues of enforcement that too needs to be tackled.

“I don’t think we have to go back and study anything further right now, but perhaps we need to look at the bigger issue,” said Councillor Ballard. “Having heard what we discussed and what Councillor Abel has discussed, I am sure our director of bylaw services will look into it.”

A note of caution, on the other hand, was raised by Councillor Evelyn Buck. She questioned what authority Aurora has to require any taxi service to provide accessible services.