Para Transpo users in Centretown might be seeing changes this spring after the findings of a review of the municipal service — which has recommended opening the ride program to those with mental health disabilities — was recently presented to the transit commission.
Para Transpo conducted a series of consultations regarding the eligibility of who could use the services and other policy questions. The bus service for people with disabilities consulted some 900 stakeholders between August and November last year.
A questionnaire polled people’s view on possible changes that would include opening up the criteria for who can ride to people with developmental and mental health issues, creating categories of eligibility based on need, reassessing riders’ eligibility at regular intervals and prioritizing trips based on their purpose.
Such prioritizing could, for example, put medical appointments ahead of social outings for Para Transpo trips.
The findings were presented to city council on Feb. 17 to be reviewed for future discussion.
The survey found there was a lot of support for providing rides to the developmentally and mentally disabled. Out of the 666 people who responded, 72 per cent of the respondents were in favour of the change, according to the report, first submitted last May, to the city’s transit commission.
However, the same people expressed concern over how this change might affect the availability of the buses if more people were able to use them.
Para Transpo operates on a $33-million annual budget and provides transportation to about 13,000 people in Ottawa with the use of 82 mini-buses and 92 taxi vehicles.
Opening up rides could mean an extra 2,000 customers sharing those vehicles, said OC Transpo representative Troy Charter.
Currently, access to the buses is on a first-come, first-serve basis by telephone, meaning the expected increase in ridership could further jam busy phone lines.
However a new deal with Para Transpo’s contracted taxi service has reduced the city’s costs, allowing for an extra 12,000 trips per year at the current cost.
Some users of the service still aren’t so keen on the changes. Accessibility activist Ryan Lythall was involved in the consultation and says he is against opening up the eligibility.
“Currently, many disabled people, myself included, face long wait times for Para (Transpo) to show up, sometimes forcing us to cancel appointments,” says Lythall, who uses a wheelchair amd relies on Para Transpo for transportation in the winter.
“Para needs to listen to its passengers. Despite what’s been reported, many of us were against the idea of including other disabilities,” says Lythall. They should fix current problems before adding new ones.”
Centretown Community Health Centre director Simone Thibault says many of her users rely on Para Transpo. She notes that people with developmental and mental health disabilities also regularly have appointments at the centre.
Opening up the services to people with “invisible disabilities,” says Thibault, will make it easier for people to receive care.
“I think we know that health and well-being is also about meeting your day-to-day needs,” she says. “If somebody needs to access certain services and support and things that make their day-to-day living a lot healthier and feeling better, those are really important things.”
There are no plans yet on how response from last year’s consultations will be put into action.