Community and Protective Services Committee

Following extensive consultation with residents and users of accessible transportation services, the City’s Community and Protective Services Committee approved on March 21, 2019, allocating the $1.2-million Vehicle-for-Hire Accessibility Fund to three projects that will improve services to residents. All three were identified as priorities during consultations.

The Accessibility Fund is generated from a voluntary per-trip surcharge paid by licensed private transportation companies like Uber and Lyft. Funding would be provided to:

• Help community agencies expand accessible transportation services in rural areas
• Make accessible taxis more affordable by:
  • Reducing taxi-coupon costs by 25 per cent
  • Doubling the maximum allowance of taxi-coupon books per customer to eight per month.

As part of their work plan, the Transportation Services Department would develop a mobile app that would let Para Transpo customers track their rides – one of the recommendations that emerged from consultations.