Report urges in-house move for HandyDart
A new report commissioned by the union representing HandyDart workers recommends that TransLink bring the service for people with disabilities in house instead of continuing to contract it out.
Transportation planning consultant Eric Doherty will appear at a Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation meeting on Thursday morning to present his findings.
“The evidence points to operating HandyDart directly as a public service as the best way to provide safe and quality service,” Doherty’s report states. “Contracting out to any of the large corporations that provide management services to transit agencies will likely compromise quality of service without any real cost saving.”
The door-to-door shared ride service for people with physical and cognitive disabilities is currently provided by MVT Canadian Bus Inc.
The document updates Doherty’s findings from a 2013 report saying an alarming number of people were being denied HandyDart trips. He said he was asked by the union to look at the present situation and what commitments have been made by the province and TransLink regarding HandyDart and governance.
“The core things that the provincial government has committed to is to restore accountable governance at TransLink, and to increase HandyDart bus service by five per cent per year in every year for the next four years,” Doherty said in an interview.
Doherty said those commitments could greatly improve the service, which is important considering the number of people over the age of 70 is projected to jump by 53 per cent in the next decade and increase demand for HandyDart service.
“There are a lot of negative consequences if we fail to meet that demand,” Doherty said. “It’s pretty much essential that we look at these issues.”
Doherty’s report states that HandyDart service per capita has declined over the past decade, while conventional transit has become more crowded and more difficult to access for those with disabilities. Taxi trips have also increased.
The decline in service is blamed on a freeze in service hours attributed to the actions of the then-Liberal government and appointed TransLink board of directors.
Last year, TransLink conducted a review of the HandyDart service after receiving numerous complaints about responsiveness to concerns, the standards and quality of HandyDart and taxi services, and the HandyDart service model and operations.