Council talks Handi-Transit changes

Brandon Transit needs to change terminology and lower fares for people with disabilities, local advocates told Brandon City Council on Monday.

The founder of local advocacy group Brandon Wheelchair Sports & Leisure, Ryan Sturgeon, and fellow member Amanda Hamm said that the term “Handi-Transit” should be changed.

“Handicap,” he said, is an outdated and offensive term for people with disabilities and not a good reflection of the values the city stands for.

The pair also explained why the door-to-door accessible transit service is so necessary.

While regular city buses are technically accessible, bus stops themselves are often not. Sturgeon, who uses a cane, said it’s difficult for him to get to bus stops when it is -40 C and snowing during the winter.

Because of its importance to people with disabilities, they said that the $4 fare for the Handi-Transit, which is more than double the $1.50 fare for regular bus service, is unfair. Private options, such as taxis, are much more expensive than buses, said Hamm.

The fare gap and the terminology used is a violation of the province’s Accessibility for Manitobans Act, according to Hamm.

A similar issue in Winnipeg was brought up as a comparable concern. Seniors used to be charged a fare higher than the general fare, which was deemed a human rights violation. In that case, 310,000 people were compensated and the fares were harmonized.

Some of the problems stemming from a lack of accessible and affordable transit for people with disabilities might be lower-than-normal participation in things like elections and not keeping up properly with health-care appointments.

“We’re forcing people to stay home and not participate in their community,” Hamm said.

Coun. Kris Desjarlais (Rosser) said that when he first joined council, this issue was important to him and said he was glad the issue was being raised. However, he said that because of the size of the community and the lack of riders compared to a city like Winnipeg could mean the city loses a lot of money by lowering fares.

He also said that equity might mean raising the general fare at the same time as lowering accessible fares and said the matter should be brought up for discussion during the next budget deliberations to find the “Goldilocks” number.

Coun. Jan Chaboyer (Green Acres), a member of the city’s age-friendly committee, agreed with the desire to lower fees and agreed that the use of the term “handicap” is offensive.

Coun. Shawn Berry (Linden Lanes) agreed with the need to review branding but expressed concern that lowering Handi-Transit fares might cause people without disabilities to start booking rides on the service and increasing use.

In response, Sturgeon said that places like Winnipeg have standards for who is eligible to use the service, and that could be a partial solution. However, he did admit that deciding on the standards can be a bit of a tricky issue.

Coun. Bruce Luebke (South Centre) said a rebranding of the service was on the docket for 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic derailed things. He asked the presenters if the current system, other than the higher fares, meets legal standards.

Hamm said she believes that there are other issues, like access to bus stops and bus services that don’t meet the spirit of the law. Luebke said that sounded more like an infrastructure issue than a transit issue.

Mayor Rick Chrest asked the two what they think the name of the service should be changed to. Sturgeon said he would consult the members of his group to see what they’d like, but that he likes Winnipeg’s name of Transit Plus.

Concluding his talk, Sturgeon said he understands that there are budgetary concerns, but the service is made to benefit citizens, not make money.

» cslark@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @ColinSlark