TORONTO’S TAXICAB INDUSTRY REVIEW

                 

Accessible Taxicab Service

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Tracey CookExecutive DirectorMunicipal Licensing & Standards City of Toronto

Jan 9, 2014

Toronto’s Taxicab Industry Review

• Municipal Licensing and Standards Division licenses and regulates businesses and trades within the City of Toronto, including taxicab owners, drivers and taxicab brokerages.

• In 2011, the Licensing and Standards Committee directed staff to undertake a comprehensive review of Toronto’s taxicab industry.

• The Review has included more than 40 consultations, 100 stakeholder meetings and three issue-based surveys which have collectively had over 3,000 responses.

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Framework for Change

• Staff have received and analyzed thousands of emails, phone calls and letters containing issues and recommendations as part of the Review.

• Stakeholder engagement has been the foundation of the final recommendations.

• Several consultations and meetings were dedicated to the issue of accessible taxicab service.

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• Submission from the Spinal Cord Injury Ontario

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• Endorsement from 6 provincial organizations

ACCESSIBLE TAXICAB OVERVIEW

                 

• AODA requirements• Issues• TTC Wheel-trans • Cost of Vehicles• Strategies

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AODA

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)

• Develops, implements and enforces accessibility standards in order to achieve accessibility for Ontarians with disabilities with respect to goods, services, facilities, accommodation, employment, buildings, structures and premises on or before January 1, 2025.

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AODA Requirements

• AODA requires that all municipalities consult on, and take steps to, provide on-demand wheelchair accessible taxicab service.

AODA defines “on-demand” as • the ability for a person requiring a wheelchair accessible taxicab to

request and receive service in the same way as people who do not need wheelchair accessible taxicabs. This includes telephoning for a taxicab or hailing a taxicab on the street.

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AODA Requirements

Under AODA legislation, the City is required to:

1. consult with its municipal accessibility advisory committee, the public and persons with disabilities to determine the proportion of on-demand accessible taxicabs required in the community .

2. create an accessibility plan that identifies progress made toward meeting the need for on-demand accessible taxicabs.

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Accessible Taxicab Issues

• People with disabilities, including those who rely on wheelchair accessible transportation, face challenges in obtaining affordable and on-demand taxicab service in Toronto.

• Only 3.5% of all Toronto taxicabs are wheelchair accessible. Most of these taxicabs are not readily available for on-demand taxicab service because they are contracted to deliver public transportation service through TTC Wheel-trans.

• This means that many residents and visitors who are in wheelchairs cannot expect on-demand taxicab service in Toronto as is available to other passengers.

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Accessible Taxicab Issues - Demand

• Currently very hard to determine the number of wheelchair accessible taxicabs required to meet demand

• Without accessible taxicabs trip data available (due to the lack of accessible taxicabs readily available for on-demand), consultant’s model was based on international benchmark • Estimated that 6% of the fleet would need to be accessible to service current

demand

Considerations– How can the City assess actual demand for accessible taxicabs?

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Cost of Accessible Vehicles

• Research indicates that accessible vehicles in Toronto cost between $25,000 to $50,000

• Cost to convert vehicles– $11,000 for rear load

– $20,000 for side load

Range of costs for vehicles (+taxes)

Dodge Caravan (New) - $20,000 - $25,000

Dodge Caravan (1 year old) - $17,000 -$19,000

Toyota Sienna New - $30,000 - $37,000

MV1 - $46,000 basic model (conversion not required)

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Approaches to on-demand accessible taxicab service

• The City of Toronto needs to increase its availability of wheelchair accessible taxicabs to both serve the needs of residents and visitors and to meet its obligations under AODA.

• Staff analyzed two (2) strategies for increasing the number of wheelchair accessible taxicabs.

1. Proportional wheelchair accessible taxicab service

2. 100% wheelchair accessible taxicab service

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Proportional Approach

• Mandate service standards equivalent to brokered taxi calls for non-accessible taxis

• Access to wheelchair accessible taxis limited to requesting a ride (e.g., no hailing)

• This strategy allows for specialist drivers to provide enhanced wheelchair passenger service and assistance

Considerations • How many do we need?• Who will have to buy accessible vehicles?• How many new licenses will need to be issued ?

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100% Approach

• To ensure the same level of service between passengers who need, and do not need, a wheelchair, the City would have to plan for 100% wheelchair accessible taxicab service.

• This would mean that a person, regardless of mobility, would be able to obtain a taxicab, including hailing one on the street.

Considerations• Cost to the industry• Ability to deliver service to passengers with disabilities

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100% Approach

• The Framework recommends that as taxicab licences are transferred, the new owner of the taxicab licence would have to purchase an accessible vehicle.

• This would mean that no existing licence holder would have to buy an accessible vehicle.

• Applies to those who are issued a Toronto Taxicab Licence after January 1, 2014, either through voluntary exchange or transfer.

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QUESTIONS?

                 

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THANK YOU

                 

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More information on the Taxicab Industry Review can be found at:

Website:  www.toronto.ca/taxireview Email:  taxireview@toronto.caPhone: 416-338-3095TTY:  416-338-0889