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economist suntribune social issues thursday feb 21 2002 by kathleen griffin staff writer without it close to 5000 disabled people across york region would not have free dom to shop attend meetings and therapy sessions or visit friends and family but the disabled users of mobility plus transit recently amalgamated into one regional service are eagerly awaiting changes they hope will improve the oncepatchwbrk service for all customers the service is a good one and id rather have it than nothing at all but there are things that could be rectified said markhams ashley joannou a 17yearold high school student who used the serv ice for months to get to a coop placement demand for the special service is expected to increase at least 30 per cent in the next five years and regional funding levels will have to rise drastically from the current 25 million a year to not only meet that demand but to improve the service levels- aswell in 2000 the net cost of specialized transit was t 332 per capita in york compared with 15 in toronto and 13 in calgary and edmonton big plans but there are big plansand the fruits of a 42 per cent budget increase ahead a fiveyear draft plan for the service was submitted tothe region py consultants the ibi group last imonth j oneofthekeyrecommenda- jtions is eliminating the municipal boundaries within york region so jthere will be no transfers we hope to do that with toronto as well explained don gordon director of york region transit yrt one of the biggest problems individuals with disabilities face is paving to book rides with multiple agencies then transfer vehicles thats going to disappear mr gordon said we will provide service directly to three accessible r stations finch downsviewand don mills they may have to make a booking with wheel trans in toronto but they will be getting on to an accessible system and those who can travel staff photosteve somerville the octagon restaurant owner ken stathakis donated a van to york region transit mobility plus through markham mobility foundation for use in southern york region that way will yrt staff will decide on an implementation date for region- wide seamless travel later this month but its expected to take place sometime this spring mr gordon said as well a pilot project in the bathurst street corridor will test the boundary elimination with tofdhtoacrosssteelesavenuelt should be up and running by april mr gordon said not having to change will be a major plus said robert munn a thornhill resident and member of markhams accessibility commit tee hes also pleased with the rec ommendation that the region start a consumer advisory committee on accessible transportation ensuring users have a say in guid ing and planning the service in the future its very important to listen to the local consumers as well there are nine municipalities in this region mr munn said this isnt perfect but its a good first step some recommendations have already been implemented for example fares in all municipalities have been harmonized at 2 since jan 1 a threezone fare system will be implemented once boundaries fall meanwhile yrt will continue contractual agreements with adapt which is a taxilike service in east gwillirribury and king simcoe coach in georgina and wheels on wheels in whitchurch- stouffville adapt a registered charity has been lobbying for transit for the disabled for 31 years president jim knox welcomes the report saying the current system is grossly unfair to users who often cant get where they need to go within the region the problem has been that all municipalities wanted to maintain their autonomy he said now some of these things like the boundary issue wffi finally happen under regional transit as the region grows and ages meeting increasing demand with the regions fleet of 15 specialized vehicles will continue to be a chair lenge said steven wilks ah associ ate with ibi group whose compa ny created the fiveyear plan ibis solution is twofold first increased hours and seamless serv ice should help reduce current stress on the system and second ensuring accessible infrastructure exists on conventional vehicles and at destinations should increase the ability of some disabled people to access conventional transit there is an option for some of the people some of the time to use conventional transit mr wilks said adding the region has com mitted some of those budget dol lars to acquiring more lowaccess buses grab bars and operator training mr gordon confirmed all new buses purchased by yrt will be lowfloor except those running on express lines and older buses will be retrofitted with grab bars and higher front seats as part of their overhaul another recommendation is standardizing hours of service both with conventional transit and municipality to municipality if conventional transit service is offered until midnight special ized transit should too mr gordon said martha schultz of thornhill is a regular user of the service she said she will benefit from standardized hours into toronto and the north as she attends evening accessibility and multiple sclerosis society meetings across the gta elderly and disabled people miss a lot because we cant get there she said the taxi scrip service where half the metered fare is subsidized by mobility plus but the passenger pays the other half will continue in the short term as mobility plus service expands and boundaries are elimi- nated it may not be as necessary mr gordon said communication concerns often the most frustrating for users i are being monitored as well- i lengthywaitsonholdonthetele- phone booking or canceling trips and missed meetings between drivers and passengers are decreasing mr gordon said the goal is centralized dispatch by years end yrt is also contemplating loos ening eligibility requirements one of the first focus groups told us there were problems with a the criteria for eligibility which wasj based mainly on physical limita- j tions mr wilks said- but those with cognitive clis- abilities or the mentally ill may have orientation problems and could find it difficult if not impos- sible to use conventional transit as well we have recommended eli gibility be based on functional limi itations but he pointed out people must be able to take care of themselves- upon reaching their destination this is a shared ride service not an attendant care service he said the draft report is circulating through york region municipalities now for comment tk wt i n o ma 1 1 1 r d mat w3mbm sm rrt lit mors markham tgf sainaafentigjghf issi qyggjgpgfg mim to 43 vd m wk this yearisl we pay thefim bvb jx ft bc hi a bvb iiiij