“A lot of our demands don’t cost money, [they are] a question of respect.”
Last month, the Ottawa city council hosted an event for Para-Parity, an advocacy group for Para-Transpo riders. Para-Parity arrived with seven demands that they deem essential to improving the Para-Transpo experience; this includes 24-hour booking and service, as well as ensuring that Presto readers on new buses are accessible. However, with OC Transpo facing a disastrous LRT project and a major deficit, many Para-Transpo users feel like an afterthought of the transit system.
At the top of Para-Parity’s list of demands is for Para-Transpo to offer same-day on-demand booking and provide 24-hour hour booking and service. Right now, Para-Transpo users must book their trips 24 hours in advance between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. They also cannot schedule trips for upcoming appointments more than a day in advance. “It affects our day-to-day life and our mental health,” says John Redins, a Para-Transpo user and advocate for Para-Parity.
In an interview with the chair of Ottawa’s Transit Commission, Glen Gower, Para-Transpo users were reassured that city hall is listening to their needs.
“All of [these demands], we’ve heard before,” he said. Gower pointed to the Para-Transpo standing item at monthly transit committee meetings and the OC Transpo roadmap for this term – a public document where OC Transpo states its planned agenda – as a sign of cooperation.
For now, OC Transpo is still studying the feasibility of same-day on-demand booking and 24-hour hour booking and service. “The budget factors into that,” added Councillor Gower. He stressed though, that Para-Transpo was not affected by any cuts due to the City of Ottawa’s deficit.
In fact, Para-Transpo is one of the only facets of OC Transpo to accelerate the acquisition of new vehicles. 80 Para-Transpo mini buses are currently available for service. However, users are questioning intentions since OC Transpo’s on-demand pilot for conventional riders uses Para-Transpo buses. “We’ve been demanding for on-demand for so long and all of a sudden they’re going to be offering it to conventional, it’s like a kick in the teeth,” said Redins.
Councillor Gower explains that only 44 Para-Transpo buses are active on the weekends due to demand. Out of the 36 idle ones, 10 are testing the pilot. Gower adds, “[It’s] actually for all users, including Para-Transpo users.” If the pilot is successful, OC Transpo will transition to using conventional buses for the service.
“A lot of our demands don’t cost money, [they are] a question of respect,” says Kari Glynes Elliot, the co-founder of the Ottawa Transit Riders interest gro. She illustrated this point with an issue regarding Presto readers being too high for wheelchair users on Para-Transpo buses.
Glynes emphasized the need for Para-Transpo to be at the forefront of OC Transpo’s mission; “There are specific solutions. […] We need to focus on Para-Transpo as a separate issue and as a priority.”
Ottawa Transit Riders plans to publish multiple reports and a year-end report card next year to judge the progress OC Transpo has made to meet Para-Parity’s demands. They encourage people to speak up and attend city hall meetings to stress the importance of reliable public transit.
