Josée Ménard likes riding the HandyDart and is grateful that Vancouver cab companies have accessible vehicles in their fleets.
But after ride-hailing services gained unanimous support from an all-party committee in the B.C. legislature on Thursday, Ménard, who has progressive multiple sclerosis and uses a motorized wheelchair, said she hopes transportation network firms like Uber and Lyft make inroads to the province as soon as possible.
The 57-year-old Vancouver resident said she has concerns about safety and accessibility, but would welcome a transportation option for those frequent times when a wheelchair-accessible taxi or HandyDart isn’t available.
“It fills up a big supply-and-demand (issue), so I think as long as everybody makes it safe, it just becomes another taxi company, basically,” she said.
The all-party committee made 32 recommendations that push forward the implementation and legislation of ride-sharing services. Six of them relate to accessibility, including a requirement that firms with fleets “over a reasonable size” make sure that wait times or service guarantees for accessible services are equal to those of non-accessible trips. The committee also recommended ride-hailing companies give trip bonuses to drivers of wheelchair-accessible vehicles and that a ban be imposed on charging higher fees for customers who need accessible vehicles.
Nick Eagland – Vancouver Sun – February 15, 2018.
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