With no one at the transit wheel on a full-time basis, the town has halted its expansion of its on-demand transit program for the time being, which is still in its preliminary stages of implementation.
During a presentation at council’s regular meeting on April 22, the town’s supervisor of public works Kris Wiszniak gave an update on accessible transit in Collingwood. Up until this past August, Wiszniak managed the town’s transit file in addition to his regular public works duties, however this past year councillors gave approval for the town to hire a full time transit co-ordinator.
According to the update provided this week, finding someone to fill the position has been difficult.
“At this point, there’s been no set schedule on how to move on-demand forward fully, the way it should be,” said Wiszniak, adding he doesn’t have the time to do it alone while managing his other responsibilities. He also said he’d like to see a full communications plan put in place to push the roll out.
“I think that will be a key initiative for whoever fills the co-ordinator position. We’ve paid for it already, we just need that extra boost,” he said.
In 2023, there were 450 registered, active users of the town’s accessible transit service TransitPLUS, with 8,919 rides counted last year. It was a stark improvement from 2022 when the service was launched, which that year marked 2,100 rides.
“It’s up considerably from when we worked with the Red Cross,” said Wiszniak.
Wiszniak said customer service is an issue that’s come up regularly since the TransitPLUS launch.
“There was a lack of clear instructions on how to contact the provider, or the municipality who would be dealing with issues,” he said. “I know certainly that we can do better.”
Wiszniak said work is underway to prepare packages to welcome new riders with information on how to order a ride and who to contact if there is an issue.
“I understand there have been some safety concerns,” said Wiszniak. “We’re taking steps to ensure all riders are heard.”
Kathryn Bloomfield, vice chair of the accessibility advisory committee, attended Monday’s meeting and elaborated on safety concerns brought to the committee to CollingwoodToday.
“People in wheelchairs weren’t being tied down correctly,” Bloomfield explained. “I only heard about a couple (of instances), but a couple is too many.”
She said issues that can arise if chairs aren’t secured can include the possibility of injury of the wheelchair user or other passengers.
“It’s very awkward sometimes. The chairs are so different. There needs to be some really good, solid training,” she said.
Bloomfield is one of a few volunteers who will be making the trip to Landmark with town staff to teach drivers the proper ways to help a user in a wheelchair. She said that at first, she didn’t feel that the town was listening to the concerns of her community. However, that feeling has since changed.
“We want them to understand that one size doesn’t fit all,” she said.
Public transit in Collingwood runs from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week, with TransitPLUS special buses for people with disabilities, and on-demand weekend service. TransitPLUS is a door-to-door assisted service that requires an advance booking.
The town has a partnership with ACE Cabs for their accessible taxi service, with extended hours of operation. Last year, town council voted to extend the ACE Cabs contract for two years – to 2025 – costing about $84,000 per year, to give residents with disabilities a transit option outside of the town’s hours of operation.
Wiszniak said the town’s accessibility taxi ridership hovered at around 40 riders last year, however as of now that number has doubled to nearly 85.
Coun. Chris Potts raised resident concerns specifically about those who attend Collingwood General and Marine Hospital for appointments, and then have difficulty finding a way home after ward. He asked if, when booking rides that go to the hospital, more leeway could be given on pick-up times. Currently, drivers will give riders five minutes of leeway.
“I’ve had a number of people come to me saying they’re stuck with no ride home,” said Potts. “I think your accessible taxi numbers are going up because people are having difficulty with TransitPLUS.”
Mayor Yvonne Hamlin suggested that the town should be having conversations with the hospital to coordinate those needs.
“Maybe one of the first questions on an intake should be, how are you getting home? Not everyone has a car,” she said.
The town is planning to launch a survey in the coming months to collect feedback on the accessible taxi service, and the outcome of that survey will inform town staff’s requests for the 2025 budget.
For more information on Collingwood Transit, click here.
