Spring - Summer 2015

2015 People In Motion Show

Where:  Queen Elizabeth Building, Exhibition Place, Toronto
When: Friday, May 29 & Saturday, May 30, 2015
Time:  10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

TTC’s CEO Andy Byford will be available on Saturday May 30 at 1:00 p.m. to meet customers.

For assistance in planning your trip using the TTC Accessible Transit Network, call TTC Customer Information at 416-393-INFO (4636) or visit TTC Schedules & Maps.

TTC will provide Accessible Shuttle Bus Service every half hour, starting at 10:00 a.m. from Bathurst Subway Station, to the People in Motion Show. The return Shuttle Bus, from the Q.E. Building back to Bathurst Station, will depart every half hour beginning at 10:30 a.m. The last Shuttle Bus will leave Bathurst Station at 4:00 p.m. and the final return trip from the Q.E. Building will depart at 5:00 p.m.

In Memoriam

Susan Davidson, Former ACAT Chair

A strong advocate for causes she believed in, Susan Davidson was Chair of the Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit of the Toronto Transit Commission and a member of the Board of Directors of Anne Johnston Health Station. She was an editorial board member of Risk Management in Canadian Health Care since its inception in 1997, and a former President of the Ontario Bar Association Health Law Executive. Susan started her career as a nurse, and later attended Osgoode Hall Law School. Susan was a leader in the health law field, recognized and sought out for her expertise in privacy, risk management, mental health and consent and capacity issues; her former health sector clients continue to talk about the excellence, clinical skill and compassion Susan brought to her role as counsel.  Susan will be remembered for her positive attitude in any situation and her genuine care and concern for those around her.

Toronto’s Streetcar is Now Accessible

The reviews are in and the TTC’s new low- floor streetcars are a hit! Customers love the accessibility features of our new streetcars. The new streetcars are accessible to all and offer a ramp that is deployed by the Operator on request. Inside is a designated area that accommodates customers using wheelchairs or other mobility devices. Blue seats and decals clearly indicate priority seating areas for people with disabilities, the elderly and pregnant women.

For more information on the new low-floor streetcar, visit facebook.com/StreetcarTO, Twitter @StreetcarTO or newstreetcars.ttc.ca.

PAN AM/ PARA PAN AM GAMES

Going to the PAN AM Games July 10, 2015 to July 26, 2015 or to the  PARAPAN Games August 7, 2015 to August 15, 2015?

Attention Wheel-Trans Customers who are Booking Trips to the Pan Am/Para Pan Am Games. Wheel-Trans customers must call 844-PARA ONE (844-727-2663) 6:00 a.m. to midnight for all their accessible trip needs.

Ontario will host athletes, officials and spectators from 41 countries across the Americas. The Province has committed to getting everyone to the Games safely and on time while still keeping businesses and residents moving. 

To help ensure accessible transportation during the Games, York Region Transit (YRT/Viva) will provide and operate the Call One call centre on behalf of the Ministry of Transportation (MTO). The service will ensure that spectators requiring specialized transit services during the Games will get to where they need to be. Staff in the Call One call centre will provide advance booking requests for spectators who are currently registered for para-transit and require accessible transit to Game venues across the GTHA.

The Centre will be open from 6 a.m. to midnight for the duration of the Games. Bookings will be accepted up to seven (7) days in advance of the travel date requested. Cross-boundary trips will be coordinated with GO Transit service across the GTHA to ensure customers arrive at their venue on time. For more information on this service, please call the Pan Am/Parapan Am Call One call centre staff at 844-PARA ONE (844-727-2663).

TTC’s Accessible Connections

Did you know?

You can book your Wheel-Trans trips to one of the TTC’s 34 accessible stations.

Boarding the Train

Give yourself enough time to board the train safely. If you board at the designated waiting area (DWA), the train guard will allow you enough time to board or exit before closing the doors.

Face directly towards the doors and ensure you have enough room to approach the train so that your front wheels don’t turn sideways. Move into the subway car, once boarded, so the doorway is clear.

Finding a Seat on the Train

All of the TTC’s subway trains have locations designated for mobility devices. Look for the international symbol of access on the outside of the train and at the designated location in the subway car. On the older trains, seats marked with the symbol can be flipped up to accommodate a mobility device. On the Toronto Rocket trains, designated seats are already flipped up!

Getting off the Train

If you are using a mobility device, you may wish to move toward the door before you arrive at your stop. Use caution when going across the gap.

The Elevator Service Status Line is 416-539-5438 (LIFT). Updates on the operating status of TTC elevators are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To get an update on the operating status of escalators, as well as elevators, you can also call the 24-hour TTC Information Line at 416-393-4636 (INFO) and press 5 (or TTY 416-481-2523). The line is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To speak to a Customer Information Representative, call between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily (except statutory holidays) and press 0 at any time.

TTC Travel Training Available at an Accessible Subway Station

If you are interested in learning how to use the accessible features of a subway including boarding the train, email wtcs@ttc.ca or call Wheel-Trans Customer Service at 416-393-4111.

E-Newsletter

If you would prefer an email sent to you with a link to an electronic version of the CommunityLink, please let us know at wtcs@ttc.ca, send us your name, registration number and valid email address.

ACAT (Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit)

A Message from the Chair of ACAT

Hello,

On behalf of my colleagues on ACAT (Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit), my first thoughts are to say how much we miss our former leader and Chair, Susan Davidson, who recently passed away. Susan was elected as the ACAT Chair in 2015 and she had been an ACAT member over several years. More than an ACAT leader, she had been a strong personality on accessible issues for people with disabilities, and fought tenaciously in support of seniors and people with invisible and physical disabilities. ACAT members and I, as Chair, are dedicated to carrying the torch in her memory, to ensure that public transit in the City of Toronto continues to address our ability to move around the City as equally and as freely as everyone else.

My name is Mazin Aribi, and as a long time advocate for accessible transit in Toronto, I am honoured to be ACAT’s Chair for the remainder of 2015. My first three-year term on ACAT started in 1998. Since then, I worked very hard with my fellow ACAT members to paint the road map for successful accessible transit services that many of us enjoy today and will in the future. To name a few of those recent services: we now have seven-day advance booking on Wheel-Trans, book trips Online, and create our own list of frequently used addresses we travel to. We continue to encourage Wheel-Trans customers to try using the conventional transit system for all or part of their trips. We also remind you of the availability of Accessible Travel Training for Wheel-Trans customers. On the conventional side we are working harder to make the system fully accessible; we were very excited when the first accessible low-floor streetcar launched on Spadina Ave. on August 31, 2014, and we are eager to see these streetcars increase in numbers, on more routes, in 2015 and beyond. We are also delighted to report that at least 50% of subway stations are now accessible; Dufferin and Lawrence West stations are two of the most recent stations to become accessible. At ACAT, we are working with TTC management and staff in integrating accessibility components into TTC policy & operating procedures. Advocate Accessibility is one of the strategic objectives in the TTC’s 5-Year Corporate Plan and ACAT members continue to monitor and implement the impact of Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act 2005 (AODA) and its regulations. All of these objectives come with budget challenges.

Finally, we encourage you to bring any issues or improvement ideas forward to us via the channels that are currently available including by email to: acat@ttc.ca, or by attending the TTC Annual Public Forum for Accessible Transit. You are also encouraged to attend our monthly meetings, held on the last Thursday of every month.

Respectfully submitted, Mazin Aribi (ACAT Chair)

Nicole Cormier and
Angela Rebeiro (Vice Chairs)

Book your Wheel-TransTrips Online! - New Feature

We have been listening to your comments and we have improved the website substantially by eliminating the need for you to have to call in to Reservations to add or remove addresses on your registered list. You can now do this all on your own. Manage your own Registered Addresses online at mywheel-trans.ttc.ca

As well, you can now input any address in the city of Toronto and schedule your ride without having to choose from a Registered Address, Recent Address or Landmark.

The address search criteria allows you to enter a ‘street number’ and ‘street name’ and then select from all of the search results

WT 101 Sessions- For Customers

Customers have an opportunity to learn more about Wheel-Trans service in a small group setting.

Learn about:

• Accessible TTC Fixed Route Service
• How to book, cancel and confirm your rides using the Internet and Rideline
• Operating Policies – Service Expectations
• Priority Line & Customer Service

Space is limited. Contact Customer Service via email at wtcs@ttc.ca or phone at 416-393-4111 to reserve your seat.

Wheel-Trans Priority Line (416-393-4311)

Help us to answer your priority calls more quickly.

The Priority Line should only be called for the following reasons:

• You have been no showed and require another ride.
• Your ride is running more than 30 minutes late and you want to know when it will arrive.

Unfortunately our staff will have to transfer all other calls they receive to keep this line available for priorities.