As DARTS concerns spike, city mulls changes

Complaints about accessible transit service in first three months of 2023 eclipse all from 2022

Complaints about DARTS are skyrocketing this year as frustrated riders urge the city to change its long-standing, shared-ride model of accessible transit.

The beleaguered service, already plagued by pandemic ridership woes, was thrown further into turmoil last year after the city ordered more than a third of DARTS vehicles off the road over safety concerns.

Complaints about late or unavailable rides crept up slowly last year — but have spiked dramatically in 2023.

“It’s horrible right now. It just doesn’t work for people,” said Aznive Mallett, a wheelchair user who heads the city’s advisory committee for people with disabilities. “Over the years I’ve seen this service at its best and its worst ... right now, it’s closer to the worst.”

The city presented councillors detailed statistics on accessible transit earlier this month that show

DARTS recorded 4,726 late trips in the first three months of this year — or more than the total in all of 2022.

The rate of complaints has also doubled, with nine per thousand trips in the first three months of 2023 compared to 4.5 per thousand trips last year.

Some complaints this year made the news — like a client with autism who was dropped off at the wrong location without a required caregiver present in March. Another rider has filed a human rights complaint, arguing the service should offer more help to users loading and unloading groceries.

At recent city meeting, transit head Maureen Cosyn Heath called the late trips in particular a “disturbing trend” and acknowledged some councillors have been “inundated” with complaints about the contracted paratransit provider.

Via email, the city said Thursday there has been “some recent improvement” in late trip numbers since the first-quarter report and HSR staff are working with DARTS on the issue.

Transit staff are also expected to report to council next year with long-term recommendations on how — or whether — to change the arms-length service model that has existed in some form since the 1970s.

DARTS is a non-profit organization contracted by the city to provide accessible transit — but the agency also subcontracts some service to private operators of smaller accessible vehicles. The city, meanwhile, sets rider eligibility and handles complaints.

Agency executive director Kathy McVicars said via email the recent spike in complaints is due in part to a “shortfall” of drivers and supply chain backlogs on needed parts for vehicle repair. She said the agency just hired 10 new drivers but is seeking up to 15 more in the coming months.

Also looming over the agency is the uncertain status of its contract with the city, which is currently month-to-month.

Mallett expressed hope the city’s accessibility advisory committee will endorse a motion next month calling on the city to look at “a different way to provide the service.”

A “visioning” exercise done by the committee about the future of DARTS includes suggestions for shorter minimum wait and ride times, an easier booking mechanism and direct back-and-forth trips for critical medical appointments — as opposed to shared rides that sometimes keep clients on the road for 40-plus minutes.

The city could also look at taking the contracted service “in-house” as part of its municipal transit service, said Jay Hunter, the president of CUPE Local 5167 that represents many DARTS drivers.

Hunter said his members are “caring, well-trained” drivers who are also frustrated with staffing and vehicle shortages. A city-run service that is “properly funded and staffed” could only improve the rider experience, he suggested.

Also looming over the agency is the uncertain status of its contract with the city, which is currently month-tomonth