Province launches new accessible taxis program, $3M in funding

The B.C. government has launched a new program aimed at getting more accessible taxis on the road by helping taxi drivers cover the higher cost of the vehicles.

B.C.’s Transportation Minister Rob Fleming says while over 600 accessible taxis are approved to operate across the province, many of them are off the road.

“This is designed to get vehicles that need to be repaired, that have deferred maintenance on them back on the road and take a situation where we’re down about 35 per cent of our fleet for accessible vehicles and get it back up to 100% and perhaps beyond.”

This new program, the Passenger Transportation Accessibility Program (PTAP), will start with $3 million in funding with additional funding streams kicking in over the next two years.

The funding for the new program will come from revenues collected from the per-trip fee that came into effect across the province in 2019.

“Eligible taxi owner-operators can now apply for rebates which help cover the costs associated with maintaining wheelchair-accessible taxis. These rebates are designed to offset the higher costs of operating accessible taxis,” he said.

For years, CityNews has heard horror stories of people in wheelchairs waiting hours for a cab ride because no vehicles were available to pick them up.

In 2019, a Burnaby woman spoke out after her sister who uses a wheelchair was left waiting for a cab for over an hour. The B.C. Taxi Association at that time said that waiting for an hour is “unacceptable,” however, just this past December, an elderly couple was forced to stay over at a friend’s house after Christmas dinner because they couldn’t get an accessible cab in Surrey.

Ann Lund was born with cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair as she deals with spinal issues in her 70s. She and her partner, Ken, took a Surrey Metro Taxi to a Christmas dinner at a friend’s home that night. While she was waiting for a cab to arrive, she fell while in the bathroom and had to call an ambulance.

Read More: Surrey couple stranded on Christmas night after no available wheelchair taxis

The Vancouver Taxi Association admits its response times for customers using wheelchairs haven’t been up to scratch.

“With the removal of some financial barriers, this is a great opportunity for the industry here in Vancouver to get more people where they need to go. I look forward to supporting our members and working with the Province as PTAP gets going,” Carolyn Bauer, the taxi association spokesperson, said.

Bauer adds the current system is broken.

“Response times to our customers is horrible. We cannot guarantee our customers that we can get them to a movie, or to a show, or simple things … just out to dinner,” she said.

Dan Coulter, minister of state for infrastructure and transit, says supporting the taxi industry to provide better and more timely services helps address everyday barriers.

“In line with our commitments under the Accessible British Columbia Act, this funding will help industry meet the needs of clients and make getting around easier and safer for everyone,” he said.

-With files from Kurtis Doering and Michael Williams