Accessibility Advisory Committee Thursday, November 14, 2019 6:30 PM Boardroom, Development and Engineering Services, 305 Barrie Street, Bradford Agenda A meeting of the Accessibility Advisory Committee of The Corporation of the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury will be held Thursday, November 14, 2019 at 6:30 PM, in the Boardroom, Development and Engineering Services, 305 Barrie Street, Bradford, ON. Pages 1. Call to Order The Chair calls the meeting to order. 2. Adoption of Agenda Recommendation: That the Committee Agenda dated November 14, 2019 be adopted as printed. 3. Declarations of Pecuniary Interest and the General Nature 4. Presentations/Deputations There are no presentations. 5. Open Forum Members of the public who are in attendance are invited to address the Committee by signing the Open Forum Register. 6. Adoption of Minutes 6.1 Recommendation: That the minutes of the September 12, 2019 meeting be adopted as printed. 7. Unfinished Business 3 - 32 7.1 BWG Transit - Specialized Services Page 1 of 32 Accessibility Advisory Committee - November 14, 2019 Agenda That Report COM 2019 36, entitled “BWG Transit – Specialized Services” be received for information. 7.2 Multiyear Plan Updates 7.3 Public Consultation/Survey Results 8. New Business 8.1 CIP Discussion with Michael Kemp, Office of Economic Development 9. Site Plan Reviews Staff have reviewed the number and dimensions of accessible parking spaces in Site Plan circulations. 10. Announcements 11. Next Meeting 11.1 Meeting Date - February 13, 2020 11.2 Agenda items - Employment Initiatives 12. Adjourn Recommendation: That the meeting is hereby adjourned at _________. Page 2 of 32 Report of Community Services REPORT #: COM 2019 36 DATE: 14 Nov 2019 TO: Members of the Committee SUBJECT: BWG Transit - Specialized Services PREPARED BY: Paul Dubniak, Transportation Technologist 1. RECOMMENDATIONS: That Report COM 2019 36, entitled “BWG Transit – Specialized Services” be received for information. 2. PREAMBLE: The purpose of this report is to provide the Committee with information and options for Specialized Transit service. 3. BASIC DATA PERTAINING TO THE MATTER: Bradford currently operates a scheduled, fixed route ‘conventional’ bus service that meets the requirements of the AODA. The routes operate along a predetermined routing with bus stop infrastructure providing locations to board and alight the transit vehicle. Since BWG Transit service inception, Town staff have received requests for a ‘specialized’ or ‘paratransit’ service. Specialized services are a pre-booked, shared ride, door to door service for unconditional (permanent) or temporary/conditional passengers that have physical, cognitive, visual or sensory disabilities. Examples of specialized services are: York Region – Mobility Plus Simcoe County – Linx Plus+ Innisfil – Barrie-Innisfil Taxi Peel Region – Transhelp Toronto – Wheel Trans Orillia – O.W.L.S Barrie – ParaTransit Bracebridge – Bracebridge Mobility Midland/Penetanguishene – Community Reach Page 3 of 32 COM 2019 36 BWG Transit - Specialized Services Page 2 of 30 The service is provided to residents who may have difficulty using the conventional service whom must apply and are assessed on a case-by-case basis. The traditional steps for specialized transit eligibility are as follows: • Complete application form which includes rider information and section to be completed by certified health care professional (Attachment 1 – Example application form) • Often Mini-Mental State Examinations (MMSE) are completed by the transit agency once per month to better understand a potential rider’s needs (Support person for instance) • If registration is approved the passenger is given a card and registration number which is required when a trip is booked • Trip bookings can be received up to three days in advance and made on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. Return trip can be booked at the same time • Pickup/drop-offs can have up to a 45 minute window (in some cases chosen by passenger). Another example is a 30 minute pickup window where the bus can arrive 15 minutes before the scheduled time, or 15 minutes after. • Operators will not wait more than 5 minutes once at the predetermined pick-up location • Rides are shared with other passengers and vehicles DO NOT follow a specific route In its operation specialized services are fluid in terms of operation and routing allowing for greater flexibility and the ability to make the most from the service. As a result allowances are required in terms of specific pick up and drop off times, as well as travel times that passengers will be on a vehicle for. Should the Town start a specialized service, it should be noted that the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act has several sections (63-74) relate to Specialized service operation, including: • Eligibility and process requirements • Fare parity – states that the same fare structure and payment options are available on both services (TransitFare smartcard reader) • Hours of service – must operate the same hours and days of service as the conventional transportation services • Booking and Trip restrictions The vehicles typically used by specialized stem from their primary use. They typically have seating options that are flexible to meet passenger needs. Vehicles are traditionally smaller than conventional fleet vehicles to allow for improved maneuverability as door-to-door services require. Attachment 2 provides examples of vehicles used for specialized services. Historically conventional and specialized services have run as independent entities. Over the last decade this has changed as demands on transit have increased and agencies have sought methods of maximizing available budgets. For the following options, applicants would apply through the Town. Once approved the Town would maintain the list of riders that would be shared with the service provider. The service provider would then be responsible for day- to-day operation. Page 4 of 32 COM 2019 36 BWG Transit - Specialized Services Page 3 of 30 Specialized services operate within the jurisdiction that provides the service, but can cross borders to facilitate transfers between providers. Visitors to the area are eligible to use the service even if they are not registered as long as they can provide confirmation that they are eligible for specialized transportation services in the jurisdiction in which they reside, or who meet the specialized transportation services eligibility requirements of the specialized transportation service provider. Neighbouring Specialized Providers Mobility PLUS – York Region Transit YRT Mobility Plus was created in 2001 following the merger of the various transit agencies in York Region. The service as a whole is being incorporated with the ‘Family of Services’ model and being re-branded as ‘Move on Request’ in 2019. Staff have spoken with Mobility Plus representatives in the past regarding potential pick up and drop off locations. It was hoped that the GO Station could be used at a future time, but as the location is locked for most of the day it did not meet the Mobility Plus criteria. The Wendy’s at 32 Bridge was initially discussed as a meeting point as the location is open during operational hours and could provide shelter during a transfer. Agreement with property owner/s would need to be insinuated for verification of option. Barrie-Innisfil Taxi – Innisfil Innisfil operates an accessible service through a taxi provider. Fares mirror the costs with the UBER program. As Innisfil operates a door-to-door on-demand service as their conventional service, direct parallels with the current Bradford offering is difficult to compare conventional or accessible services. Linx Plus+ – Simcoe County Linx+ began service on September 3, 2019 and operates along Route 1 (Penetanguishene to Barrie). Linx Plus+ service will commence along Routes 2 (Wasaga Beach to Barrie), 3 (Orillia to Barrie) and 4 (Wasaga Beach to Collingwood). The service currently operates within 400 meters of Linx conventional fixed routes for those unable to travel to stop locations. The model operates off a 'family of services' where a person's trip may use a specialized vehicle, conventional vehicle and another specialized vehicle for door-to-door service. Staff at Linx/Linx+ were asked about potential growth in the future and at this time Linx has not received direction from the County council to expand Linx+ services outside of the 400 metre zone. Specialized Transit service options For the Town of Bradford, several options are provided below for operation of a Specialized Transit service. Option 1: Continue transit services as is Page 5 of 32 COM 2019 36 BWG Transit - Specialized Services Page 4 of 30 Option 2: Partner with service provider or non-profit community group with an accessible van This option could mimic the Taxi-to-GO/Reagens program, but utilize an accessible cab vehicle (similar to the BB Taxi vehicle the Town of Bradford supported for conversion through the Accessibility Committee). For this option, the successful provider would be required to provide all the resources necessary to operate a specialized service. At least one spare vehicle maybe required in case of mechanical issues and dependent on program participation/demand, capacity could be met quickly. Capital costs associated with this option are: Vehicle – $35,000 to $180,000 Technology – $4,000 to $10,000 (Smart Card reader) Operational costs associated with this option are: Operation through Contractor/Non-Profit – $10,000 to $150,000+