Item - 2025.TTC3.4

The Toronto Transit Commission received the Approved Minutes of the Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit (ACAT) General Monthly Meetings of January 30, 2025 and February 27, 2025 for information.

Betty Rivington-Law, ACAT Chair, gave a verbal presentation on this item.

The Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit (ACAT) is forwarding the approved minutes of its General monthly meetings of January 30, 2025 and February 27, 2025 to the April 2025 Board Meeting for information. At the January meeting the 2025 ACAT Executives and subcommittee memberships were announced. TTC staff presented information about existing programs and campaigns aimed at raising awareness about customers with non-visible disabilities and introduced a program TTC is considering, the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program, which offers a discreet way for people with hidden disabilities to ask for extra help by wearing a sunflower. ACAT members provided feedback about Metrolinx ECLRT Elevator accessible alternative signage for Line 5 and suggested including more detailed wording.

At the February 27, 2025 ACAT General Meeting, ACAT members discussed participation in Operator Recertification sessions and suggested reviewing talking points so that messages to Operators are consistent when members attend as speakers. They also asked if there was feedback about the new and modified bus routes between Kipling and High Park Stations and along Avenue Road and Yonge Street that were changed to ensure access to accessible subway stations.

There were no ACAT Subcommittee meetings held in January 2025. The following is a summary of the main topics discussed at the February ACAT Subcommittee meetings:

Communications Subcommittee

• TTC Wheel-Trans survey feedback and Wheel-Trans 50ᵗʰ Anniversary events. The topic of elevator and escalator outages was reassigned to the Service Planning Subcommittee.

Design Review Subcommittee

• Bloor-Yonge capacity improvement project and concerns about proposed platform edge doors and the impact on the platform width at Line 2 westbound. TTC staff undertook to provide a status report at a future meeting.

Service Planning Subcommittee

• Operator training and inconsistent information. TTC staff undertook to have a presentation at a future meeting to address conflicting information.

Wheel-Trans Operations Subcommittee

• Fixed PRESTO machines that will be installed in Wheel-Trans buses to replace mobile units and concerns about the ability to access the machine, the location of the PRESTO unit, and whether payment with a digital wallet could be an option.