ACAT Meeting - February 29, 2024

Minutes of Meeting:

ACAT General Meeting

Meeting Date:

Thursday, February 29, 2024 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Location:

Hybrid meeting via Teams

Present:

Anita Dressler, ACAT Chair
Betty Rivington-Law ACAT Co-Vice Chair
Erica Tanny, ACAT Co-Vice Chair
Mei Hung
Debbie Gillespie
Lori Bailey
Bobbi Moore
Howard Wax
Maria Marin
Lavarnan Mehavarnan
Frank Lockhart
Tammy Adams
Angela Marley
Chau Sheung Wong
Wangari Muriuki

Pool Members

Michelle Pena Escobar
Roberta Butler
Paul Manna
Oda Al-Anizi

Regrets

Renate Bradley

TTC Representatives:

Joanne DeLaurentiis, Vice Chair, TTC Board
Gary Downie, Chief Capital Officer
Cameron Penman, Head, Wheel-Trans
Matt Hagg, Manager, Customer Policy, Strategy & Foresight
Dean Milton, Manager, Strategic Initiatives, Wheel-Trans
Levenson Lincoln, Assistant Manager, Customer Service, Wheel-Trans
Sofia Rizzo, Customer Communication Specialist
David LoPresti, Manager, Contracted Taxi Services, WheelTrans
Jeff Short, Senior Accessibility Planner
Lodon Hassan, Divisional Manager, Customer Service, Wheel-Trans
Wendy Reuter, Chief of Strategy & Customer Experience Officer
Shima Eghanian, Operations Manager, Streetcar Maintenance
Adrian Grundy, Senior Communications Advisor, Corporate Communications
Warren Rupnarain, Accessibility Consultant, Diversity
Oma Okolocha, Coordinator, Human Rights & Investigations
Ross Visconti, Project Manager, Wheel -Trans
Stephan Boston, Chief Instructor, Bus Training
Mark Biamonte, Director, Emergency Management & Fire Safety
John Boucher, Manager, Vehicle Maintenance, Lakeshore Garage
Betty Hasserjian, Chief Safety Officer
Mohammed Shaikh, Divisional Manager, Transportation, Wheel -Trans
Alexandra Nicastro, Administrative Assistant, Wheel -Trans
Sneha Madhuri, Communications Advisor, Corporate Communications

Items Discussed

1. Call to Order / Attendance
2. Land Acknowledgement
3. Declaration of Conflict of Interest
4. Approval of Agenda
5. Review and Approval of January 26, 2024 Minutes
6. Remarks from TTC Executive
7. Fire Safety – E-Bikes and Scooters Evacuation Process
8. Remarks from ACAT Chair
9. Wheel-Trans Transformation Update from Cameron Penman
10. Outstanding Items
11. Deputation: Nil
12. Review of Correspondence: Nil
13. Subcommittee Reports, Highlights and Updates
    - Communications
    - Design Review
    - Service Planning
    - Wheel-Trans Operations
14. Other/New Business
    a. AODA Motion
    b. TAAC Motions Overview
    c. Meeting Minutes
15. Next Meeting – Thursday, March 28, 2024
16. Adjournment

1. Call to Order/Attendance 

Anita Dressler, ACAT Chair, called the meeting to order at 1:05 p.m. Attendance was taken.

2. Land Acknowledgement 

A member read the Land Acknowledgement.

3. Declaration of Conflict of Interest 

Nil.

4. Approval of Agenda 

Motion to approve the agenda: Angela Marley Seconded: Howard Wax Carried.

5. Review and Approval of January 26, 2024 Minutes 

This item was deferred to next meeting.

6. Remarks from TTC Executive – Wendy Reuter 

Wendy Reuter, Chief of Strategy & Customer Experience Officer described her role and updated ACAT on the recently launched Ontario One Fare Program.

Questions and Comments

In response to member questions, Wendy confirmed that all transit agencies which share a municipal border with Toronto are included in the One Fare Program, including Durham Region Transit. This includes conventional and specialized accessible transit with the exception of Peel Region TransHelp (para-transit service), which is excluded because it does not use PRESTO.

With respect to GO Transit, the TTC fare is reimbursed when transferring to GO.

Further details can be found on the TTC website.

At present, this program is funded by the Ontario Government for two (2) years.

7. Fire Safety – E-Bikes and Scooters Evacuation Process 

Mark Biamonte, Director of Emergency Management & Fire Safety gave a presentation on the E-bike incident that took place at Sheppard-Yonge Station, on the subway train on December 31, 2023 and on the train evacuation procedures. 

Questions and Comments

A member asked if there were firefighting tools on board the trains and Mark Biamonte confirmed there were.

A member raised a concern regarding the lack of legislation and policy on bikes and ebikes, particularly as E-bikes are allowed in the body of TTC vehicles, though not during peak hours. Further work is to be done by TTC on this.

It was noted that image descriptions are required for presentations and presentation materials must be received by committee members in advance. This is necessary for full participation by committee members.

8. Remarks from ACAT 

Chair Anita Dressler welcomed everyone and congratulated the new Chairs of the Subcommittees. Anita encouraged members to attend upcoming events and presentations that interest them.

9. Wheel-Trans Transformation & update from Cameron Penman 

Cameron Penman, Head, Wheel-Trans, provided a Wheel-Trans update. The TTC budget was recently approved by City Council. Three additional Travel Trainers have been approved, bringing the total to four.

The Request for Information (RFI) for the new AVL and IVR systems is expected to be issued within the next two weeks. A subsequent Request for Proposals (RFP) for the new systems is expected to be issued later in the year.

Phases 5-8 of the Reservations, Scheduling, and Dispatch software upgrades are in the final stages of negotiations with the vendor.

The registration campaign continues to progress successfully. Approximately 400 additional legacy customers have re-registered in 2024, bringing the total to over 14,000 customers. Fewer than 5,000 active customers remain to be re-registered.

Wheel-Trans continues to add additional 7m ProMaster vehicles to the fleet, replacing the older ‘Friendly’ buses. There are over 100 of the newer buses in service,

10. Outstanding Items 

1. Recommendation for Honoraria:
   Cameron Penman provided an update on the honoraria for ACAT members. It was recommended to follow what the City of Toronto compensates their advisory committees. Board Approval will be sought for the additional honoraria. Expected implementation is 2025.
2. Scarborough City Centre Motion Update expected in Q3 2024.
3. Recommendation to Honour Sam Savona Update expected in Q2 2024.

11. Deputation 

Nil.

12. Review of Correspondence 

Nil.

13. Subcommittee Reports, Highlights and Updates: 

Communications Subcommittee (CS)

Sofia Rizzo, Customer Communication Specialist gave the report for the meeting held February 1, 2024.

Chair to be elected at the March Communications Subcommittee Meeting, subject to achieving quorum.

There was an overview of the 2023 Communications Subcommittee’s activities. Some upcoming projects include the annual Wheel-Trans Customer Satisfaction survey, Access Newsletter.

The next meeting will be held on March 7, 2024, at 1:00 p.m.

Questions and Comments from the Committee

Members asked for a copy of the Diversity and Inclusion presentation. TTC staff is continuing to meet with Metrolinx to find a solution to the signage issues, and this seems to be going well

Design Review Subcommittee (DRS)

Lori Bailey, Chair for the DRS deferred her update to the next ACAT General Meeting.

The next meeting will be March 12, 2024 at 1:30 p.m.

Service Planning Subcommittee (SPS)

Debbie Gillespie, recently elected Chair for the SPS gave the report for the meeting held February 20, 2024. She expressed her anticipation to working with subcommittee members and TTC staff to ensure accessibility continues to be top of mind in all areas of service planning at the TTC.

Jeff Short, Senior Accessibility Planner and staff liaison to the subcommittee provided an overview of the responsibilities and highlighting work completed in 2023 along with ongoing initiatives for 2024.

A member raised the question of extending the Wheel-Trans service area to match the conventional service provided to certain destinations and she indicated that the TTC will bring this back to ACAT at a future meeting.

The next meeting will be held on March 19, 2024, at 2:00 p.m.

Questions and Comments from the Committee

There was discussion of the status of mandatory securement on buses and Jeff Short indicated they are looking at policies currently in place by transit agencies in Canada and abroad.

Wheel-Trans Operations Subcommittee (WTOS)

Mei Hung, newly elected Chair for WTOS gave the report for the meeting held February 14, 2024.

Levenson Lincoln, Assistant Manager, Customer Service, Wheel-Trans, introduced the Wheel-Trans Operations Subcommittee and reviewed WTOS projects. Ross Visconti, Wheel-Trans Project Manager, provided updates on the 2023 and 2024 prospective IT projects.

Marco Iorfida, Scheduling and Policy Specialist, Wheel-Trans gave an update on the Wheel-Trans stops and landmarks. Dean Milton, Manager, Strategic Initiatives, Wheel-Trans, gave an update on the FOS ridership and re-registration of legacy customers.

Wheel-Trans will resume its pre-pandemic Fare Enforcement Policy on March 1, 2024. At the Quarterly Executive Meeting, the Chair raised concerns about WheelTrans service areas mirroring conventional buses, particularly North of Steeles.

The next meeting will be held on March 13, 2024, at 1:00 p.m.

14. Other/New Business 

a. AODA Motion

This item was deferred to the March 2024 meeting.

b. TAAC Motions Overview

Three motions were approved by the TTC Board at their February 22, 2024, meeting.

1. Request the Chief Executive Officer to consult with the TTC’s Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit and community organizations serving people with disabilities, on ways to improve awareness and education around Wheel-Trans registration as well as identifying potential supports and registration assistance for riders for whom English is a second language or who cannot complete registration forms online.
2. Request the Chief Executive Officer to engage in consultations with the TTC’s Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit, people with disabilities and community based organizations that provide support service for people with disabilities. This is to be done prior to the implementation of the Wheel-Trans Transformation Program elements that would require the use of the Family of Services Program; such consultations will inform any potential changes to the design and implementation of the Program to address concerns around safety, equity, mitigating impacts of service disruptions within the conventional transit system on Family of Services customers, and the impact of TTC crowding as service demands increase and number of people with accessibility needs grow.
3. Direct the Chief Executive Officer to report back findings to the TTC’s Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit and the TTC Board in the second quarter of 2024, and to the Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee by the third quarter of 2024 and for the Chief Executive Officer to attend the Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee meeting to address any outstanding concerns.

Questions and Comments

Background on the TAAC motions were provided.

It was noted that TTC Staff need to update the station descriptions on the website and specifically at Kennedy Station. Dean Milton will take this back this recommendation and report back to ACAT.

A member commented that having this updated station layout in writing on the TTC website would be beneficial and will help all customers, including those with accessibility needs.

The Chair also thanked the TTC staff for supporting the Seniors Active Living Fair at the Bernard Betel Centre on March 13, 2024, which will help re-registration efforts and introducing the service to new customers.

c. Meeting Minutes

The January ACAT General Meeting minute approval has been deferred for editing.

15. Next Meeting 

Next ACAT General Meeting: Thursday, March 28, 2024.

16. Adjournment 

Meeting adjourned by motion by Debbie Gillespie at 2:35 p.m.

Prepared by: Cindy Edwards, Recording Secretary