Item - 2023.DI2.1

The Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee recommends that:

1. City Council request the Toronto Transit Commission Board to request the Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Transit Commission to:

a. consult the Toronto Transit Commission’s Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit and community organizations serving people with disabilities, on ways to improve awareness and education around Wheel Trans registration as well as identifying potential supports and registration assistance for riders for whom English is a second language or who are not able to complete registration forms online;
 

b. engage in a new round of consultations with the Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit, people with disabilities and community-based organizations that provide support service for people with disabilities in order to inform any necessary changes to and the implementation of Family of Services (FOS), including safety concerns, equity, and the impact of Toronto Transit Commission crowding as service demands have increased and number of people with disabilities grows;
 

c. examine the feasibility, including cost estimates and implementation timelines, of having customers service agents at:

1. all Toronto Transit Commission stations; as well as

2. all stations that are identified as accessible connection location to subways under the Toronto Transit Commission’s Family of Service to ensure safety of Wheel Trans riders and equitable access to subway vehicles;
 

d. report back findings to Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit and Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee in the first quarter of 2024 and the Toronto Transit Commission Board in the second quarter of 2024;

e. direct the Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Transit Commission to attend and address the above-mentioned Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee meeting in 2024; and

f. undertake consultations and incorporate the feedback from the consultations, prior to Family of Services becoming mandatory.

The Head, Wheel-Trans and the Manager, Strategic Initiatives, Toronto Transit Commission gave a presentation on Wheel-Trans Service Model Update.

Toronto Transit Commission staff will deliver a presentation to the Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee regarding Wheel-Trans service. Specifically, the presentation addresses the following:

Service planning changes that are being made to the Toronto Transit Commission's Wheel-Trans Service, including:

a.  rationale;

b.  equity analysis and consultation process;

c.  status of the re-registration process and how barriers to re-registration have been addressed; and

d.  comparison of projected financial costs of operating Wheel-Trans under Family of Services and the previous Wheel-Trans service model.