Every Friday night, Kathryn Bloomfield likes to play Euchre at the Collingwood Leisure Time Club. As she lives bound to a wheelchair, her options are limited when it comes to transportation to and from the club.
Without an accessible taxi, Bloomfield doesn't think she'll be able to make it to her weekly Euchre game.
She said she was told on Oct. 1 that Ace Transportation Group would be reducing the hours of their accessible taxi service to stop at 5 p.m. Monday to Friday and would no longer be providing any weekend service. She said the taxi also requires pre-booking.
“I used to take the cab home, and now I can’t do that. Cards are no fun if you can’t see the end,” Bloomfield told CollingwoodToday. “It makes me angry that I’m being treated differently than the general public. I’m not receiving the service that other people are.”
It was an issue referenced at the council table during their committee of the whole meeting on Oct. 7, when Coun. Chris Potts asked about the current contract between the town and Ace Transportation to provide the service until 1 a.m. until March 31, 2025.
“It’s bothersome that we extended a contract to a certain date. I think we should be pushing for the same service until that date,” said Potts. “For the users out there, it’s not fair to them and an agreement is an agreement. I don’t think it’s acceptable.”
Ace Cabs announced in August that it would be ending their Ace Cabs regular service as of Sept. 30 after 80 years in business, citing challenges in competing with Uber, town transit and the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, according to the release at that time, the organization said they would continue to provide wheelchair accessible fares in-town under its contract with the Town of Collingwood, and did not mention any reduced hours.
During council's discussion on Oct. 7, the town’s CAO Sonya Skinner called the apparent reduction of service “disappointing.”
“We’ve been looking into the contracts and the commitment and what this means moving forward,” she said.
Casey Morrison, a local accessibility advocate with cerebral palsy who is confined to a wheelchair, said it’s been very difficult getting rides from Ace since Oct. 1.
For example, he said this week he and a friend wanted to go out to dinner, but it was rainy and windy and the Ace option stops at 5 p.m. He said he tried to contact the town’s TransitPLUS service, but they didn’t respond.
“We needed to cancel our plans. When it starts raining or snowing, and I am out, I can’t get a ride home now,” he said in an email. “My independence is so valuable for me.”
He notes that while the town’s TransitPLUS service operates until 9 p.m. seven days a week, all rides through that service must be booked two days in advance, which isn’t always possible. Morrison also said the town’s service is very well-used, which means sometimes a ride is not available when he calls.
It’s one of the reasons why, back in March 2023, town council voted in favour of paying Ace Cabs $84,000 a year, for two years, to provide door-to-door fare-based accessible taxi service until 1 a.m. for people needing a ride outside of TransitPLUS hours. Under that contract, only rides after 9 p.m. were required to be pre-booked.
Although the town paid the company the funds to provide the service, it isn’t free for users – riders still need to also pay regular rates per ride.
At that time, town council intended the solution to be an interim one while they hoped to improve TransitPLUS operations by March 31, 2025 when the contract with Ace is set to expire.
Ace Transportation Group declined an interview request for this story, citing a confidentiality agreement in place with the town.
While the town didn’t directly answer a follow-up question from CollingwoodToday about whether the town was considering potential legal action against Ace Transportation Group for breaching the contract, a spokesperson said the town was first informed about the organization’s change in operating hours and booking requirements from a member of the community – not directly from Ace.
“The town recognizes the importance of accessible transportation to our residents and as such, staff are in communication with the service provider in an effort to find a positive outcome for all parties,” said communications co-ordinator with the town Julie Kaden in an email.
The town is currently running a survey regarding accessible transportation in Collingwood, which closes Oct. 18, and will help the town plan the future of the service. To fill out the survey, click here.
