by Ryan Lythall
Whether you’ve lived in Ottawa for a while or you’ve just moved here, chances are that you’ve seen a Para Transpo bus or taxi and you probably don’t know much about the service. In this month’s column, I provide an overview of the service, issues impacting it, how the City can improve on it and how you can show your support.
How Para Transpo Works
Para Transpo provides door-to-door service for people with disabilities in the Ottawa area. It will pick you up from your home, take you to your destination anywhere within the City of Ottawa and some parts of Gatineau, and return you to your home. Rural and chartered transportation is also possible as long as you give them plenty of notice.
As an example, I want to see a movie with a friend. We decide on the place for Tuesday evening for a 7:00 p.m. movie. I want to arrive so I have time to chat with my friend, go to the washroom and get a drink before the movie starts. So I book my ride for a 4:30 or 5:00 p.m. pickup. I live downtown so the driver has to deal with rush hour traffic, construction and other customers on the bus. I will be lucky if the driver arrives by 5:30 p.m.
In order to book a ride with Para Transpo, I need to call, or have someone call for me, at 7:00 a.m. on Monday the day before.
If you don’t require a vehicle with a ramp, you can call at 9:00 a.m. However, many others are calling in at the same time, and Para Transpo has only a handful of operators. It can take anywhere from 20 minutes to two or three hours to reach an operator.
Para Transpo does have a call-back service, but it may not always work. Once an operator answers your call, they ask you for your service registration number, what time you want to be picked up, your destination and when you want to return, or to go to the next destination. Sometime, your requested times are not available. When this happens, the operator will try to find another time for you.
When the vehicle shows up, the van lowers and a ramp extends similar to an OC Transpo bus. If you’re in a powered wheelchair, you drive up the ramp. If you need assistance, the driver helps you. Then the driver secures your chair with tie-downs.
Service slowdowns/delays
There is a 30-minute window when waiting for Para Transpo. If they don’t show up within it, you can call to find out if they’re on their way. Drivers are told to wait only three minutes for you. Sadly, many don’t and sometimes they don’t even show up. They may change your pick-up time without telling you, vehicles can break down and it takes a long time to reach an operator to find out what has happened.
Another issue causing service delays is paying for the ride. This is where things start to slow down and is often one of the reasons why drivers are late in dropping off passengers. Currently, Para Transpo accepts four forms of payment: cash, Equipass, Para Pay and the Presto Pass.
The cash fare of $3.50 takes the least amount of time to process.
The Equipass is available for low-income customers and is available for $58.25 according to the website. However, if you’re part of the Ontario Disability Support Program you’re not eligible for the pass.
Para Pay is available to Para Transpo customers who don’t take regular bus service. You set up an account and add money when needed. Each time you take a trip, the fare is deducted from this account by the driver.
Finally, there’s the Presto Pass but none of the Para Transpo vehicles have a tap machine and you must have a Presto Community Pass. The monthly fee is $43.25 and you can buy it online or in person. You need to keep your receipt because some drivers will check it. Once the driver sees your receipt and your Presto card number, they write it down and enter it into their on-board computer. This can take upward of three to five minutes done multiple times a day. If Para Transpo vehicles had a scanner, it would save considerable time for both the drivers and the passengers.
When this issue is raised with the City, typically the response is money. Either the City doesn’t want to spend money to upgrade the vehicles or, perhaps, they underestimate the number of people with disabilities who use public transportation. The very definition of public transportation is a system designed for use by members of the public, that is, all members of the public.
Supporting ParaParity
Sally Thomas is one of the founders of the ParaParity campaign. I asked her why the campaign was launched. “The premise for ParaParity is that OC Transpo is a public transportation system for everyone and the disparity between the level of service delivered by OC Transpo is huge and unacceptable.
People with disabilities deserve to be contributing members of our community. The … shortfalls of Para, in many cases, do not allow for that.”
Members of ParaParity would like to have an online booking/reservation system in addition to the current phone system.
We realize that not everyone has online access but an online system would significantly cut wait times on the phone. One other suggestion is to provide an app so that we can easily find out when our ride will pick us up. An online system would also help people with nonverbal disabilities as well as those who are physically unable to use a phone.
For more information or to join this campaign, look for Para Transpo Group Woes on Facebook or #ParaParity on Twitter.
Contact Ryan on Facebook at Ryan Lythall or on Twitter at @rolling_enigma.