People with disabilities seek to speed up bus pass access

NDP has raised monthly payments, but free passes not available until Jan. 1

Delphine Charmley’s sons had a measure of independence before the former B.C. Liberal government made changes to the disabled bus pass program last year.

“They were quite independent. They would think nothing of grabbing their bus pass and going out with their friends or to their Special Olympics practices,” the Nanaimo mom of nine said.

“Without it, they don’t have that luxury.”

Last September, the Liberals increased disability payments for 100,000 British Columbians by $77 per month. But at the same time they began deducting $52 per month for a bus pass, or $66 per month for a transportation subsidy, from that increase. Previously, people with disabilities paid $45 per year for a transit pass.

Charmley’s sons, who are 25 and 27, gave up their passes so that they could use the extra money from their disability cheques to pay for expenses like rent, utilities and food. They now rely on their parents for rides.

In the Sept. 8 throne speech, the B.C. NDP promised people with disabilities access to an annual bus pass if they want one, starting Jan. 1, 2018. Social Development Minister Shane Simpson said there would be no deductions from recipients’ disability cheques for the pass.

Charmley said the change isn’t coming soon enough — she wants to see the pass instituted before Jan. 1, or for the government to waive the pass fee for the next three months, as the weather deteriorates and people become more isolated.

“It would speak volumes to the NDP’s saying they are going to help the marginalized,” she said. “Why can’t they extend an olive branch to the disabled or waive fees in the interim?”

Many people with disabilities and their advocates have started lobbying for faster change.

Neil Matheson, a single father with cerebral palsy, relies on transit and said he was fortunate enough to be able to keep the pass because he had some extra income from working. He knows people who had to make the choice between paying for food or transportation.

He acknowledged that government policy change can take time, but he understands why people are impatient. He said waiving the pass fee until January is a realistic request if a better pass can’t be made available sooner.

Jane Dyson, executive director of the Disability Alliance of B.C. said the bus pass was a huge issue and she’d like to see change “as soon as possible.”

Simpson said he’s heard from people who want to have the bus pass earlier, but it has been structured in such a way that it will be an annual pass that begins at the start of the calendar year.

“I appreciate and I’m sympathetic to the concerns people have, but I think it’s going to be very difficult, if not impossible, to get it back before the first of January,” Simpson said.

Last August, then social development critic Michelle Mungall said it would take “a stroke of a pen to do the right thing” and undo the changes to the disability bus pass.

When asked about the comment, Simpson blamed the Liberals for changing the rules and making the fix more complicated.

On the topic of waiving the bus pass fees for the next three months, Simpson said he would have to go back and ask for a significant amount of money to do that.

“At this point, I have not gone and talked to Treasury Board and talked about the dollars,” he said. “I don’t anticipate being able to do that.”

He said he hopes the recent $100-per-month increase to disability assistance will help people with disabilities in the meantime.

People are also asking for more information on how the bus pass will be implemented. Details were thin following the throne speech and there has been no clarity during the week and a half since.

“We’ve expressed to the minister that the uncertainty is an issue for people,” said Faith Bodnar, executive director of Inclusion B.C. “My understanding is they’re doing things as quickly as they can. I’m just hopeful and confident that this is a serious effort at restoring something.”

Simpson said there is “one final step” to take before the details of the pass can be released, which will happen in the next couple of weeks.

ARLEN REDEKOP Neil Matheson, an advocate for others with disabilities, uses transit to get around. While he has a job to fuel his income, he says he knows others who must choose between paying for food or transportation.