Allan Hawkins sat in his wheelchair in the reception area of his South Surrey care facility with a blanket wrapped around his legs and a jaunty, English-style peaked cap on his head.
It was his 85th birthday, and his daughter and her husband had planned to take him out for a nice lunch at the local White Spot restaurant.
They91裸聊视频檇 planned ahead, and booked a taxi in advance, making sure the company knew they needed wheelchair-accessible transportation, with an arrival time of 10:30 a.m., to give them plenty of time to get there and enjoy the special occasion.
But 10:30 a.m. came and went, and they were still waiting.
When they called the cab company, they were told a taxi was on its way, so John Bogar went ahead to the restaurant to secure a table, while his wife, Jane Hawkins, waited with her father.
They kept waiting expectantly, excited for his milestone birthday celebration.
And waiting.
And waiting.
91裸聊视频淓ventually, my wife was assured the taxi would be there in five minutes, but it did not show up,91裸聊视频� Bogar said.
91裸聊视频淢y wife waited with her father in his wheelchair while I occupied a prime table during peak time at the restaurant. We all just waited and waited91裸聊视频� shortly after 12 noon, we abandoned our waiting for the taxi, disappointed we could not celebrate the day as intended.91裸聊视频�
The taxi simply not showing up, 91裸聊视频渃ompletely ruined our day,91裸聊视频� he said.
91裸聊视频淚t was his birthday. They made a commitment and we had an appointment in advance.91裸聊视频�
Despite their repeated calls and attempts to clarify whether a cab would be coming, the fact they didn91裸聊视频檛 get any clear answers or an apology for the taxi91裸聊视频檚 failure to show up was frustrating, the couple said.
91裸聊视频淲e just gave up. It was so disappointing 91裸聊视频� they could have said, 91裸聊视频榃e91裸聊视频檙e super busy,91裸聊视频� or told us there were no cabs available,91裸聊视频� Bogar said.
Hawkins noted it wasn91裸聊视频檛 the first time a wheelchair-accessible taxi has shown up extremely late or, not at all.
91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檝e stood waiting here for hours,91裸聊视频� she said, indicating the care facility91裸聊视频檚 lobby.
91裸聊视频淚t robs people of enjoying special moments in their lives.91裸聊视频�
Grants announced to help
A lack of reliable wheelchair-accessible transportation for people with mobility issues isn91裸聊视频檛 anything new on the Semiahmoo Peninsula, or even across B.C. and all of Canada.
While HandyDART can be an option for the accessible community, it91裸聊视频檚 not a program everyone chooses to use, or may be eligible for.
91裸聊视频淚 use a wheelchair myself. I91裸聊视频檝e had varying experiences across communities,91裸聊视频� said Dan Coulter, the province91裸聊视频檚 Minister of State for Infrastructure and Transit.
91裸聊视频淪ome communities take quite a while for a taxi to come, some you have to book 24 hours in advance91裸聊视频� in places like Vancouver, there can be problems, especially on nights with tons of peak use like Friday night.91裸聊视频�
He remembered one time, on a Friday night in Vancouver when he was out with a friend, trying to get a taxi home was extremely difficult.
91裸聊视频淚 was told I had to wait for a cab for two hours91裸聊视频� my friend and I decided to use a regular taxi, and I actually ended up breaking my knee,91裸聊视频� Coulter said.
91裸聊视频淚 had a brace on my leg for eight weeks with my leg stuck out straight, so it was an ordeal.91裸聊视频�
Coulter said experiences like his and Hawkins91裸聊视频� are the reason the provincial government introduced the Passenger Transportation Accessibility Program (PTAP), which is intended to improve services and experiences for the accessibility community by providing funding and training to the taxi industry.
The PTAP is funded by revenues collected from the per-trip fee that came into effect in September 2019 as part of the province91裸聊视频檚 efforts to introduce ride hailing and to modernize the taxi industry.
The per-trip fee was created to offset the regulatory costs and impacts of enabling ride-hailing operations and to help alleviate the impact that ride hailing has had on the availability of wheelchair-accessible vehicles (WAVs).
Earlier this year, the province announced that nearly $3 million would be available to eligible taxi owner-operators for costs associated with maintaining their wheelchair-accessible taxis, and on May 1, they announced the 51 taxi companies that had proven eligible for $2.6 million in provincial grants.
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Coulter said the grants will help clear financial barriers that have created a challenge to expand access for people with disabilities.
91裸聊视频淥ur government strongly believes in accessibility and strongly believes in everyone having the right to full participation in their communities,91裸聊视频� Coulter said.
91裸聊视频淔olks getting to work and school, restaurants or plays and then being able to return home safely and have that as a reliable source of transportation, is important to us.91裸聊视频�
Right now, there are 603 wheelchair-accessible taxis approved for British Columbia, 91裸聊视频渂ut only 415 are currently on the road.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淭he maintenance on these vehicles is quite a bit more than your standard taxi, so a lot of these taxis are off the road due to maintenance concerns. That91裸聊视频檚 why the first intake of this program is (to) get those taxis on the road.91裸聊视频�
Over the next two years, the ministry will launch three additional funding streams that will focus on reducing the cost of operating, purchasing and converting wheelchair-accessible taxis, and providing training to better support the passengers who rely on them.
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 a great thing for British Columbians 91裸聊视频� it gets people out of their homes and it gets them participating in their communities,91裸聊视频� Coulter said.
91裸聊视频淎 lot of people, I think, take for granted they can call a cab and it will show up in a reasonable amount of time91裸聊视频� this is going to make that a reality for folks that rely on accessible taxis as well.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频楢n additional barrier91裸聊视频�
Former Surrey South MLA Stephanie Cadieux, who last May was named the Government of Canada91裸聊视频檚 first Chief Accessibility Officer, said the challenge of finding a wheelchair-accessible taxi isn91裸聊视频檛 restricted to B.C.
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 definitely an issue in a lot of places91裸聊视频� this is not a story I have not heard before,91裸聊视频� she said.
As someone who uses a wheelchair, she knows how frustrating a lack of reliable transportation can be, especially when she91裸聊视频檚 travelling.
91裸聊视频淚 certainly have had that challenge when I travel 91裸聊视频� it91裸聊视频檚 really problematic. You91裸聊视频檙e relying on a service you91裸聊视频檝e put your faith in by booking for a time, and to have them not show up can really upset a person91裸聊视频檚 schedule, or ability to get to a doctor91裸聊视频檚 appointment or work appointment,91裸聊视频� said Cadieux.
91裸聊视频淲e do have to recognize that people with disabilities are people with lives and schedules and they matter just as much as any other passenger, and we should be able to rely on the service just as anyone else can.91裸聊视频�
UNITI executive director Doug Tennant said the lack of WAVs is definitely an issue when it comes to mobility-challenged people being able to participate in community events.
He remembered last year91裸聊视频檚 Dances at the Pier in White Rock, which UNITI sponsored, and how it was difficult for people with mobility issues to get there, 91裸聊视频渂ecause the access to taxis that could take wheelchairs just wasn91裸聊视频檛 there.91裸聊视频�
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91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 more difficult for people with disabilities to participate in the life of the community 91裸聊视频� especially in the evening or on weekends, when other people are out enjoying themselves,91裸聊视频� he said.
91裸聊视频淭he really sad thing is a lot of people with disabilities are stuck at home, as this is just an additional barrier.91裸聊视频�
More accountability needed
Even with the recent funding announcements, some feel taxi companies should be held more accountable, especially when wheelchair-accessible vehicles are booked ahead of time and the transportation shows up extremely late, or often, not at all 91裸聊视频� without any explanation or apology.
Jackie Poirer, who is a unit clerk at a residential care facility in South Surrey, said she sees wheelchair-accessible taxis simply not show up on a weekly basis.
91裸聊视频淲e have a convalescent unit here and we get patients from all the various hospitals, and most of them need orthopaedic follow-up appointments,91裸聊视频� Poirer said, noting the clients are usually in wheelchairs.
91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檝e had patients who sat in the lobby for three-and-a-half hours,91裸聊视频� she said.
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 just heartbreaking. It disturbs me a lot.91裸聊视频�
Poirer said she has tried making complaints, but because she91裸聊视频檚 not the passenger/fare, only the one booking for patients, she has been told the complaint must come from the customers themselves. She said she has tried contacting the taxi company to complain, but, 91裸聊视频淚 just get ping-ponged around.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淪ometimes, (patients) are going to surgery and they have to get there 91裸聊视频� they have to get there 91裸聊视频� and the taxi just doesn91裸聊视频檛 show,91裸聊视频� she said.
91裸聊视频淭he elderly are so vulnerable. The feeling I get is that they just don91裸聊视频檛 care91裸聊视频� So who is going to make them accountable?91裸聊视频�
The Peace Arch News reached out multiple times over a period of several weeks to taxi companies that serve the Semiahmoo Peninsula seeking comment, but received no response, or were directed to managers who were unavailable.
The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure partners with Consumer Protection BC (CPBC) to collect feedback on taxi services, according to ministry staff. CPBC considers, records and refers complaints to the ministry for investigation/resolution, and the ministry91裸聊视频檚 Passenger Transportation Enforcement Officers (PTEOs) also take complaints directly.
Over the past year the ministry has received, either directly or via CPBC, more than 30 complaints regarding mobility challenges.
There is very strict criteria outlined in Passenger Transportation Regulations regarding trip refusals, ministry staff noted.
Drivers not compliant with this criteria may be ticketed $288 per offence and administrative penalties may also be applied to the driver91裸聊视频檚 company.
MLA for South Surrey-White Rock Trevor Halford, who is also shadow minister for transportation and infrastructure, said he knows from his own experience a few years ago the challenges of trying to book a wheelchair-accessible taxi for his grandfather, whether it was for a doctor91裸聊视频檚 appointment, grocery shopping or even to vote.
91裸聊视频淚n terms of finding one, it was incredibly cumbersome to do so,91裸聊视频� Halford said.
91裸聊视频淎nd then more often than not, it wouldn91裸聊视频檛 show up or it wouldn91裸聊视频檛 be able to show up at the time you requested it.91裸聊视频�
While the PTAP funding will help, Halford said it91裸聊视频檚 important people not be left stranded, potentially outside in the cold or dark, for hours without transportation, simply because they are in a wheelchair.
91裸聊视频淲e need to make sure that we have cabs available here that can take people with wheelchairs, full stop,91裸聊视频� he said.
Coulter said the government is working toward that goal, and to eventually, provide more resources for taxi drivers.
91裸聊视频淲e also want to provide access to learning opportunities to improve drivers91裸聊视频� service to people who depend on these vehicles,91裸聊视频� Coulter said.
91裸聊视频淓ventually, we want to reduce the extra costs associated with purchasing and converting WAVs. We know as the population ages 91裸聊视频� that we are all only all temporarily-abled 91裸聊视频� as the population ages that91裸聊视频檚 where the demographic is going,91裸聊视频� he said.
91裸聊视频淭his is going to be good for everyone.91裸聊视频�
tricia.weel@peacearchnews.com
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