Spring - Summer 2012
2012 TTC Public Forum on Accessible Transit
Where: Queen Elizabeth Building, CNE Grounds
When: Thursday, May 10, 2012 - 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
TTC Commissioners, TTC staff, and members of the Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit (ACAT) will be on hand to hear from the public on matters of accessibility of conventional and door-to-door (Wheel-Trans) public transit services in Toronto. Let us know how the TTC can make the system accessible for everyone.
Topics:
- Discussion of previous Public Forum concerns and progress made
- Review of new service initiatives
- Opportunity for the community to voice concerns or suggestions for accessible transit improvement
TTC will be providing Accessible Shuttle Service from Bathurst Subway Station to the Public Forum. Service will leave Accessible Bathurst Subway Station starting at 6:00 p.m. and leaving the Queen Elizabeth Building starting at 9:00 p.m. You can also take the 29 Dufferin Accessible Bus to the event.
For assistance in planning your trip using the TTC Accessible Transit Network, call TTC Customer Information at 416-393-INFO (4636) or for more information about the meeting.
Starting on Sunday, May 6, you may book your Wheel-Trans trips to the Public Forum on Accessible Transit. Please Note: at the time you make your booking, you will receive only your pick-up time to the event. The return trips will be coordinated at the location.
Your 2012 TTC Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit
A Message from the ACAT Chair
I hope everyone’s year has started off on a positive foot. We are proud to be celebrating our 20th year as an advisory committee to the TTC and Wheel-Trans. We have changed our name to the Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit.
This year will also mark the 5th annual Public Forum which will be held at the Queen Elizabeth Building at the CNE on May 10, 2012 from 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm.
The main initiatives we will be working on this year include the new LRT design, the Eglinton Crosstown LRT Line, and the accessibility of new PRESTO smart card.
Sincerely,
Valdo Tammark
You can contact the Chair by letter:
- Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit (ACAT), c/o Wheel-Trans, 580 Commissioners Street, Toronto, Ontario M4M 1A7,
- or by email at: acat@ttc.ca
- or by fax: 416-338-0126.
Committee meetings are held on the last Thursday of every month at the TTC Head Office, 1900 Yonge Street, 7th floor boardroom. Visitors are welcome to come and observe meetings.
Wheel-Trans 2011 Milestones
Wheel-Trans is proud to announce:
- Provided nearly 3 million rides.
- Accommodated close to 98% of all customer requests for rides.
- 90% of all rides arrived within 20 minutes of the scheduled pick-up time.
- Over 450,000 rides were booked online and over 160,000 rides were booked on the RideLine.
- AVL (Vehicle Location System similar to GPS) was implemented with the delivery of new buses.
People in Motion Show
Canada’s Largest Exhibition for Disabilities
Come and meet your 2012 TTC Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit members, who will be on hand to discuss their role in advising the TTC on matters that pertain to accessible transit in the City of Toronto.
Free Admission
Queen Elizabeth Building,
Exhibition Place, Toronto
Friday June 1, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Saturday June 2, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Wheel-Trans will provide Shuttle Bus service from accessible Bathurst Subway Station to the People in Motion Show. Please see the chart to the left for the WHEEL-TRANS SHUTTLE BUS SCHEDULE for June 1 and 2, leaving every ½ hour.
- For assistance in planning your trip using the TTC Accessible Transit Network, call TTC Customer Information at 416-393-INFO (4636) or visit the website www.ttc.ca.
- For TTC schedule and route information, visit www.ttc.ca and click on Schedules & Maps.
- Call 416-393-4636 (INFO) for more information about Accessible TTC.
- To book Wheel-trans, go to mywheel-trans.ttc.ca to book online, or call the RideLine at 416 397-8000 to book your rides. To choose your destination, choose “Landmarks”, then “CommCntr/Attrn/Office/Library/Rel/Park” and then choose “CNE - People in Motion Show” or “CNE - Queen Elizabeth Building”.
Wheel-Trans Trip Booking Changes
We Want to Improve Service for Our Customers
From Monday May 7, 2012 until Saturday, June 30, 2012, you will be able to book trips up to 7 days in advance! For example: call in Monday to book rides from Tuesday until the following Monday! No Need to Wake Up at 7:00 am!
Think of the convenience and peace of mind knowing that your trip has been booked in advance, and that there is no need to call in the day before! As always, you will be provided with a 30 minute pick-up window for the day that you are travelling.
- The Automated Callout Service will contact you either the night before or on the day of your trip with your estimated pick-up times.
- If you no longer require the trip, please ensure that it is cancelled the day before by 11:00 pm so that we can offer the trip to another customer.
- After the trial period, we will review whether this change has been a positive experience for our customers.
Book your rides online at mywheel-trans.ttc.ca or call our Automated Touchtone Service, the RideLine at 416-397-8000, daily from 5 am to 11 pm. (Instructions for using Internet Trip Booking or the RideLine are on the centre pages of the hard copy of this edition's newsletter)
Book your rides with a Reservationist at 416-393-4222, daily from 7 am to 11 pm
Internet Trip Booking
Internet Trip Booking, available from 5:00 am – 11:00 pm, 7 days a week
Our website has a new look and has been improved; offering you more choices. You now will be able to choose from:
- Your Favourites List Use the list on the back page if you have not already submitted your list.
- Major Landmarks are the addresses of all major hospitals, shopping malls, entertainment facilities, Community Centres and any other locations that we provide rides to on a regular basis. It is not necessary to add these addresses to your favourites, because they are available for everyone to choose.
- Any destination that you have booked a trip to in the last 6 months. New ways to describe your Wheel-Trans trips and personal information! Wheel-Trans has changed the terms that we use to describe trip requests and the process for putting Prebook trips on hold.
- An Occasional Trip (formerly Advance/Next Day) is a trip that you are booking to and from a destination to arrive or depart at a specific time on a specific date. You only require this trip one time. The trip request is made for the next day.
- A Regular Trip (formerly Prebook), is a trip you are booking to and from a destination to arrive or depart at a specific time for at least two (2) weeks in a row. A Regular Trip Interruption (formerly Prebook Exception) is when you place a Regular Trip request on hold for a specific period of time.
- Your Favourites List (formerly Pre-Registered List), is comprised of your HOME address, Pick-UP address, Work address, and any 9 addresses of your choice
RideLine 416-397-8000
Automated Touchtone System
Our touchtone menu has changed; offering you more choices. When booking your Occasional Trips on RideLine, you now will be able to choose from:
- Your Favourites List Use the list on the back page if you have not already submitted your list.
- Major Landmarks are the addresses of all major hospitals, shopping malls, entertainment facilities, Community Centres and any other locations that we provide rides to on a regular basis. It is not necessary to add these addresses to your favourites, because they are available for everyone to choose.
- Any destination that you have booked to in the last 6 months.
RideLine Automated Touchtone System Choices:
- Press "1" for Trip Confirmations and Cancellations
- Estimated pick-up and arrival times and vehicle types for Occasional, Regular or Same Day Trips
- Cancel next day or same day rides
- Press "2" for Express Booking (5:00 am to 11:00 pm)
- Book a round trip for the next day using your registered personalized Express Trip Booking List
- Press "3" for Occasional Booking for tomorrow (5:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.) and book a trip for the next day using your:
- Favourites List (Pre-registered List),
- Landmarks (Common Codes)
- Locations you have travelled to in the last 6 months
- Press "4" for Regular Trip Interruptions
- Temporary cancellation of Regular (Prebook) Trips for a specified period of time - (used to be Prebook Exceptions)
- Press "5" for Phone Listings and Hours of Operation Operating Guidelines and Services:
- Phone listings & Hours of Operation
- Late Cancellation/No-Show Policy
- Eligibility Guidelines
- Operating Guidelines
- Service for Tourists
- Zone Bus Information
- Press "6" for To change your RideLine password (default password is your month and day of birth
- Press “0” at any time to speak with a Reservationist
A Representative will be pleased to show you how the RideLine or Internet Trip Booking works. Call Customer Service at 416-393-4111 or wheeltrans.customerservice@ttc.ca. You can also ask to attend one of our Wheel-Trans 101 Information Sessions.
Travelling Within the GTA?
If you plan on travelling to Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Newmarket or Ajax/Pickering, Wheel-Trans will help get you to the nearest transfer point!
Call Wheel-Trans Customer Service, weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at 416-393-4111 to request assistance with planning your future trips.
Pick-up Times from Transfer Points may not always run to schedule, so please allow at least an additional 30 minutes.
Region of Peel - Transhelp
Website: www.peelregion.ca/transhelp -
Registration: 905-791-1015, press “2”
Trip Booking: 905-791-1015
Durham Region Transit – Specialized Service
Website: www.durhamregiontransit.com
Registration: Ajax Pickering - 905-683-4114
Oshawa, Whitby, Clarington - 905-725-4000
Brock, Uxbridge, Scugog Townships - 1-866-247-0055
York Region Transit – Mobility Plus
Website: https://www.yrt.ca/en/our-services/mobility-on-request-paratransit.aspx
Registration: 905-762-2963
Toll-free: 1-866-744-1119
Trip Booking: 905-762-2963
GO Transit
Website: www.gotransit.com
No Registration necessary
Hours of Service and Fares:
Please contact GO Transit for service information at 416-869-3200, Long distance at 1 888 GET ON GO (438-6646)
Update Your Mobility Device Information
It is important to ensure that we have the correct mobility device on your file to make sure we book the appropriate vehicle for your trips. If you have changed your mobility device recently or if you use an oversize walker, wheelchair or scooter, confirm that we have the correct information on file when you speak with the Reservationist to book your trips. If not, please contact Customer Service at wheeltrans.customerservice@ttc.ca or by calling 416-393-4111 to confirm that we have the most up-to-date information on your file.
Automated Callout Service
Most of our Wheel-Trans customers receive the automated Callout service. This means you would receive phone calls with the details of your scheduled trips including: the times, destinations and vehicle type. These calls are received between 9:00 pm and 10:30 pm the night before or after 7:00 am on the day of their trip. Customers do not need to call us for this information. If you are not already signed up for Wheel-Trans Callout, contact Wheel-Trans Customer Service at wheeltrans.customerservice@ttc.ca or call us at 416-393-4111.
What do I do if My Vehicle is Very Late or I'm No-Showed?
Call the Wheel-Trans Priority Line - 416-393-4311
Only call the Priority Line if:
- Your trip is late by 30 minutes or more;
- You have received a no-show slip, and you still require the trip.
Any other calls made to the Priority Line cannot be handled.
The line is available from 6:00 am to 1:00 am on weekdays, and from 6:30 am to 1:00 am on weekends and holidays.
Free call for Cell Phone Users contacting the Customer Priority Help Line
- Bell Mobility: #88298 (TTCWT)
- Rogers AT&T Wireless: *88298 (TTCWT)
- Telus Mobility: #88829 (TTCWT)
On March 1, 2012, The Late Cancellation/No-Show Policy Changed
Every time a trip is cancelled on the day of service, it is essentially wasted. This is a ride that could have been used by another customer, a customer like you! Each one of these cancelled trips costs Wheel-Trans/ TTC approximately $30, or close to $6 million dollars each year.
What is a Late Cancellation?
- A Late Cancellation is any trip which is cancelled on the same day of service.
What is a No-Show or C.A.D. (Cancel at the Door)?
- A No-Show occurs when a vehicle arrives at the designated pick-up time, waits five minutes, and the customer cannot be located.
- C.A.D.'s occur when the customer informs the driver at the pick-up location that they will no longer be taking the scheduled trip.
- To avoid a Late Cancellation, please ensure you cancel your trip by 11:00 pm the night before or the earlier the better.
- The policy forgives Late Cancellations and No-Shows up to a maximum of 4 days each month regardless of the number of trips scheduled on those days.
Customers who exceed the policy are subject to a service suspension.
Policy Actions
- The 1st occurrence when the Late Cancellation/No-Show Policy is exceeded, an Advisory Letter will be mailed to you.
- A 2nd occurrence will result in a seven (7) day service suspension.
- A 3rd occurrence will result in a fourteen (14) day service suspension.
- A 4th occurrence will result in a thirty (30) day service suspension.
- A 5th occurrence will result in a sixty (60) day service suspension.
Note: Once a customer has adhered to the Late Cancellation/No-Show Policy for a period of 6 consecutive months, all previous policy violations will be removed. Only trips for medical purposes will continue to be permitted during a period of service suspension.
Personal Favourites Address List for Internet or RideLine Trip Booking
Your Personal Favourites Address List is used for booking your trips on the internet or on the RideLine. If you have already provided these addresses to us or will not use internet or RideLine trip booking, it is not necessary to these addresses. You may also add additional addresses to your Personal Address List. Keep a copy of these addresses for your own information.
Email your list to: wheeltrans.customerservice@ttc.ca. Be sure to include your Registration Number, Mobility Device and your email address.
You may choose a home, work, pick-up and up to nine (9) favourites. Be sure to include the correct numerical address (e.g.1900 Yonge Street), the closest intersection (e.g. Yonge and Davisville), building type (e.g. office building) and the entrance (e.g. main).
Personal information is collected under the authority of the City of Toronto Act, 1997 (No.2) S.O. 1997, Chapter 26, Part IV, Section 30 and will be used to assist in booking your Wheel-Trans rides. Questions regarding this collection should be directed to Wheel-Trans at (416) 393-4180.