2013 Public Forum on Accessible Transit

Event Summary

6th Annual Public Forum on Accessible Transit

On May 9, 2013, the TTC and the TTC’s Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit (ACAT) jointly held the sixth annual Public Forum on Accessible Transit at the Queen Elizabeth Exhibit Hall at Exhibition Place. This meeting is held annually to provide an opportunity for people with disabilities to review our accessibility plans, and to facilitate feedback from the community on how to improve accessibility of our services and facilities. Approximately 350 people attended.

The evening began with a period of one-on-one discussions between TTC customers, senior management, staff from various departments, and ACAT members. Information boards were on display to showcase recent and upcoming accessibility improvements, including Easier Access projects to retrofit existing subway stations with elevators, and the new low-floor accessible streetcars. ACAT and Wheel-Trans both had tables with handouts and other information available for attendees to take home.

The main part of the event was an “open mike” session, which provided the opportunity for customers to speak publicly about their experiences on the TTC, and to provide feedback, concerns and other comments to members of the TTC Board, including Chair Karen Stintz, and TTC management and staff. A panel, which included Andy Byford, Chief Executive Officer; Chris Upfold, Chief Service Officer; Mitch Stambler, Head of Strategy and Service Planning; and Kirsten Watson, Senior Manager of Wheel-Trans, responded to a number of the questions raised in the session, and identified actions on key issues such as the reliability of ramps on buses.