Meeting Date: February 17, 2010

Subject: Accessible Transit Services Plan: 2009 Status Report

Action Item

Recommendation

It is recommended that the Commission forward this report to the City of Toronto, the Ontario Ministries of Community and Social Services, Transportation, Energy and Infrastructure, the Ontario Human Rights Commission, and Metrolinx, noting that:

  • this report fulfils the provincially-legislated requirement in the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001 for an annual documentation of the TTC’s accessibility plan;
  • the TTC is making steady progress in the implementation of its Accessible Transit Services Plan, with accessibility initiatives underway on bus, streetcar, and rapid transit modes;
  • the status of the TTC’s current activities to improve the accessibility of its facilities and services are described in more detail in the attached Appendix 1, entitled, TTC Accessible Transit Services Plan - 2009 Status Report;
  • due to budget constraints imposed through the TTC’s 2010-2014 Capital Budget process, the TTC will not be able to retrofit subway stations with elevators and accessibility features as quickly as previously planned. Previous plans called for all stations to be retrofitted by 2020, while the current plan defers this date to 2024;
  • the TTC could accelerate the rate at which its accessibility plan can be implemented if senior levels of government or Metrolinx were to provide additional funds for station accessibility; and
  • Provincial regulations under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities, 2005 (AODA) are being enacted, and these will apply to all public sector agencies, including the TTC. Regulations regarding customer service came into effect January 2010, and the TTC has taken the appropriate actions to implement these regulations. Harmonised regulations for accessible transportation, the built environment, employment, and communications are expected to be finalised in 2010. The Province has not yet made a commitment to assist with any operating and/or capital cost increases which might result from the AODA regulations.

Funding

This report has no effect on the TTC's operating or capital budgets.
 

Background

The TTC is proceeding towards its goal of making all of its services and facilities accessible by 2025, consistent with the Provincial mandate of an accessible province by 2025.

The Province requires transit properties to report annually on plans for accessibility improvements, and the TTC has done so since February 2004. The purpose of this year-end report is to:

  • respond to the legislated requirement for an annual status report; and
  • provide an update on current TTC activities to make its system accessible; these are described in the appendix to this report, entitled, TTC Accessible Transit Services Plan – 2009 Status Report.

Discussion

The status of programs and initiatives at the TTC to make its services and facilities accessible to everyone is discussed in Appendix 1. Prior to 2009, the major TTC accessibility initiatives included:

  • development of extensive to-the-door and community bus services operated by TTC’s Wheel-Trans;
  • purchase and deployment of lift-equipped and low-floor conventional transit buses, in order to make the TTC’s network of regular fixed-route services accessible;
  • the Easier Access subway station retrofit programs to make stations accessible to serve both ambulatory and non-ambulatory disabled people and to facilitate integration between Wheel-Trans specialized services and the TTC’s fixed-route system; and
  • making all stations on the Sheppard Subway accessible.

In 2009, the TTC undertook the following specific initiatives to further improve and expand its accessible transit services:

  • acquisition of 146 additional accessible buses and the associated designation of 26 new accessible bus routes;
  • acquisition of 110 replacement and service-expansion Wheel-Trans buses for delivery in 2009 and 2010;
  • hosting a successful community meeting -- jointly with the Advisory Committee on Accessible Transportation (ACAT) -- specifically regarding accessibility issues on the TTC; and
  • undertaking of extensive public consultation related to the planning, environmental assessment, and design features of the Transit City lines, including provisions for accessible service.

The TTC has a number of ongoing initiatives which will continue to improve the ease and convenience of transit travel for everyone, including people with disabilities:

  • the further replacement of existing non-accessible buses with low-floor buses;
  • the impending replacement of the current fleet of non-accessible streetcars with new, modern accessible light rail vehicles;
  • the continuing initiative to make more existing subway stations accessible in order to ensure that all stations will be accessible by 2025; and
  • the TTC’s commitment to make all new rapid transit stations and all stations and stops on the Transit City light rail lines accessible.

Some, or all, of these programs, budgets, and schedules to improve system accessibility may be affected by the forthcoming Provincial regulations on accessibility standards. This is discussed below.

Regulations to Implement the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (2005)

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) requires that all public facilities and services be accessible in Ontario by 2025, and provides for the development of accessibility standards to achieve this goal. The Province of Ontario is currently developing specific regulations for implementation of the AODA, and these are expected to affect the TTC’s schedules, priorities, and operating expenses, especially if they impose requirements that are not included in the TTC’s current accessibility plans.

The first standards developed under the AODA pertaining to customer service came into effect January 1, 2010. In compliance with these regulations, the Commission has developed and approved a corporate policy regarding customer service accessibility which is available on the TTC’s web site at:

The TTC also provided training to all staff, contractors, and consultants directly involved with the public, and management staff who have input into the development of policies or procedures that could affect people with disabilities.

In a similar fashion, the Province is developing a sector-specific standard that pertains to public transportation services in Ontario, and general accessibility standards for information and communications, employment, and the built environment. These standards are in various stages of development.

These standards will apply community-wide, and the TTC has been working with the City of Toronto, and other transit agencies, to provide input on the overall standards and on transit-specific issues and concerns. In particular, as described in a report to the Commission on November 17, 2009 entitled, AODA Regulations on Accessibility Standards, TTC staff have requested the Minister of Community and Social Services to harmonize the various draft regulations being developed to ensure consistency before additional individual regulations are finalized. The standards will affect the TTC’s accessibility plans and programs, but the TTC is not yet in a position to assess the impacts because many aspects of the proposed standards and their implementation schedules are not known.

Status of Funding for Accessibility Initiatives

Limited funding for accessibility improvements is already included in the TTC's capital and operating budgets, however, recent pressures on the TTC’s long-term Capital Budget have resulted in the program for the retrofitting of stations being pushed back by four years. All stations are now planned for completion in 2024 rather than 2020.

The TTC’s plans for station accessibility and to lower the unaccommodated rate on Wheel-Trans to-the-door services could be accelerated through the provision of additional funding from the City, senior levels of government, and/or Metrolinx.
Additional funding will also be required to meet the upcoming Provincial accessibility regulations, but specifics are not known at this time. The Province has indicated that it will not fund any additional costs to transit operators which result from the requirements of the AODA legislation and regulations.

Summary

The TTC is committed to making its services accessible in order to better meet the needs of people with disabilities, seniors, and other travellers. The TTC has a systematic program in place to ensure that this is accomplished in a cost-effective and timely way. The TTC’s accessibility objectives could be met faster and sooner if Metrolinx and/or the Province of Ontario were to provide additional funding.

The TTC’s accessibility initiatives, including budgets and schedules, could be affected by Provincial regulations on accessibility. The Province has not made a commitment to fund the cost of changes which will result from the regulations.

February 3, 2009
11-31-47