AODA Background

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AODA Background
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AODA Overview

• General
• AODA received royal assent June 2005
• the AODA is about removing preventing barriers
  providing for a more inclusive society
• calls for a fully accessible Ontario on or before
  2025 - which is defined by accessibility
  standards
• standards cover provision of goods, services,
  facilities, premises, employment etc.
• provides for an inclusive standard setting
  process includes persons with disabilities,
  government reps and representatives from all
  sectors of the economy

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AODA Overview

• Accessibility standards will
• set measures, policies practices etc. to remove
  and prevent barriers
• address full range of disabilities
• be mandatory, applying to all sectors of the
  economy both public and private
• be staged in time periods of 5 yrs. or less
  reviewed for progress and changed as considered
  appropriate
• have to be accommodated within existing funding
  envelopes

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AODA Overview

• Standard development two streams
• Common standards apply to all sectors of
  the economy 4 broad categories customer
  service, built environment, employment and
  information communication
• Sector specific standards apply to
  identified sectors identified sectors have to
  comply with both common sector specific
  standards - sectors determined by Minister

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AODA Overview

• Status of Common Standards
• Customer Service final standard forwarded to
  Minister awaiting introduction to cabinet
• Built Environment selection process in progress
  - development to start in fall of 2007
• Employment selection process in progress
  development to start in fall of 2007
• Information Communication committee
  established work in progress

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Public Transit Industry Perspective
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Support for the AODA

• Public Transit
• the transit industry is supportive committed to
  building a fully accessible Ontario by 2025
• a commitment predicated on providing clear,
  measurable sustainable (fiscally responsible)
  progress in providing accessible public transit
  services while balancing the needs of all
  customers

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Impact of Transportation Standards

• Public Transit
• standards will impact the delivery of 730
  million plus trips taken on public transit
  annually
• 726 million conventional
• 5.5 million specialized trips
• Transit Windsor provides 6 million trips
• Handi Transit provides 50,000

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T-SDC Representation

• T-SDC includes representatives from government,
  service providers advocates -28 members
• 5 of 28 members on T-SDC represent public transit
  services
• Thunder Bay, Brampton, London, Toronto, and GO
  Transit
• affiliated with AMO, CUTA and OPTA (previously
  OCTA)
• transit industry representatives on T-SDC
  supported by an industry resource team

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Accessibility Philosophy

• Basic Premise
• Provide the opportunity to travel
• Where you want to go
• When you want to go

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What is Accessible Transportation?

• Accessible Transportation is broader than just
  accessible vehicles. It is a system in which
  accessible vehicles and conveyances are
  integrated with accessible stops and stations,
  accessible curbs, buildings and other
  infrastructure.
• Transportation Standard Readiness
  Assessment
• Deloitte Touche LLP

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Family of Services Concept
High

Accessible Fixed Route
Travel Training Programs
Delivery Cost
Community Bus
Dynamic/Flex Route
Travel Spontaneity
Shuttles
To-the-Door

Low
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Family of Services Option
Service Delivery Option
Accessible Fixed Route
Accessible Fixed Route
Travel Training Programs
Community Bus
Standards Gap
Dynamic/Flex Route
Shuttles
To-the-Door
Significant Mobility Restriction
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Approach to Standard Development

• Two pronged approach to development
• Conveyances
• Service
• The approach reflects
• industry knowledge and experience
• a commitment to sustainable affordable progress
  based upon progress to date
• the diversity of services offered service
  delivery mechanism
• guiding principles urged by the industry

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Approach to Standard Development

• The approach is predicated on
• the premise that people want the opportunity to
  travel, that is when and where in a safe,
  effective and affordable manner
• the issue is one of accommodation noting how to
  deal with the issue is best left to the
  municipality flexibility phase in
• establishing standards that are prescriptive
  require the establishment of two systems is
• cost prohibitive
• counter productive - can lead to the degradation
  of service

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Approach to Standard Development

• Adopting guiding principles was critical -
  include
• public transportation should be inclusive
  integrated
• accessible conventional is primary delivery
  mechanism
• safety is fundamental
• approach should promote full participation
• standards have to be harmonized
• reflect Ontario best practices
• flexibility phase in
• decisions on retrofit based upon a business
  case

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Definitions

• Accessible public transit services various
  accessible service options, generally referred to
  as a family of services, developed and
  implemented to address the transportation
  requirements for persons with disabilities that
  are delivered by public transit. Accessible
  public transit services include, but are not
  limited to, to-the-door, workshop shuttles,
  medical shuttles, community bus, accessible fixed
  route services, travel training, and trip
  planning.
• Equivalent having similar or identical results.

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Definitions

• New conveyance a conveyance that is offered for
  sale or lease after manufacture without any prior
  use.
• Personal care attendant an individual, who
  accompanies a person with a disability who cannot
  travel independently and provides services and
  assistance to the person with a disability.
• Transportable Mobility Aid A mobility aid that
  can be accommodated within the allocated space
  requirements while the passenger can remain in a
  seated position and be safely boarded and
  transported on a passenger transportation service.

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Definitions

• Transportation provider - Persons or
  organizations making the decision to
  provide passenger transportation
  services included in this Standard except those
  services provided by persons or organizations
  that are federally regulated. (Note in terms of
  public transit services, the definition of
  "transportation provider" has the effect of
  ultimately obligating the municipality (or
  region) with the responsibility of standard
  compliance.)

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Transportation Standards

• Vehicle (Conveyance) Standards
• vehicles associated with the delivery of various
  accessible conventional services
• largely apply on a going forward basis reflect
  technical standards developed through other
  established processes
• performance based standards vs. technical

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Vehicle Standards

• Accessible fare payment and ticket validation
  equipment
• Destination signage with solid characters
• Colour contrasting stanchion bars, handholds
• Pre-boarding route or destination announcements
• On board announcements of stops and connections
• Designated Courtesy and Personal Care Attendant
  seating

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5.17 Pre-boarding route or destination
announcements

• For all services that do not require
  pre-booking, the transportation provider shall
  ensure that the operator audibly announces
  through manual or electronic means the route or
  direction, or destination or next major stop of
  the conveyance at the boarding point.

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5.25 Location of Personal Care Attendants

• 5.25.1 Where possible, the transportation
  provider shall on all new conveyances provide
  seating adjacent to the allocated space for use
  by personal care attendants. The transportation
  provider shall ensure that seating for personal
  care attendants is clearly marked.
• 5.25.2 The transportation provider may combine
  seating for personal care attendants with
  courtesy seating.
• 5.38 The transportation provider shall ensure
  that clearly marked courtesy seating is provided
  as close as practicable to the entrance door

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On-board Announcement of Stops

• 5.28.1 The transportation provider shall ensure
  that operators audibly announce, through manual
  or electronic means, transfer points with other
  fixed routes, other major intersections and
  destination points, or any stop on the request of
  a passenger.
• 5.28.2 The transportation provider shall ensure
  that the operator audibly announces through
  manual or electronic means next destination
  points or stops for all services that do not
  require pre-booking.

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On-board Announcement of Stops

• 5.28.5 The transportation provider shall ensure
  that all stops are announced through electronic
  means.
• 5.28.7 The transportation provider shall ensure
  that all stops are legibly and visually displayed
  through electronic means.

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5.35 Personal Care Attendant Fees

• The transportation provider shall not charge
  a fare to personal care attendants, recognized by
  the transportation provider, accompanying a
  passenger with a disability.

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Section 6

• Service Standards

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Transportation Standards

• Service Standards
• include fares, hours of service, service area,
  etc.
• include annual reporting of performance targets
  which are set locally in consultation with
  stakeholders advisory committees
• reflect the family of services concept
• provides municipality with flexibility to
  determine how to meet needs
• objective based with performance
  targets/measures

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Service Standards

• Expanded eligibility criteria
• Enhanced eligibility process
• Tracking and reporting of performance measures
• Increased service hours and area to match
  conventional fixed route
• Reduced booking window
• Fare parity
• Free attendant travel

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Accessible Public Transportation Policy

• 6.2.1 The transportation provider shall
  establish, implement, maintain and document an
  accessible public transportation plan that
  includes policies, procedures and performance
  measures that ensure the provision of equivalent
  transportation services to all passengers.
• 6.2.2 The transportation provider shall
  establish, implement and maintain the accessible
  public transportation plan in consultation with a
  local accessible public transit advisory
  committee that includes a majority of persons
  with disabilities or their representatives who
  use the service.
• 6.2.3 The transportation provider shall make
  available publicly, local accessible transit
  advisory committee member application and
  nomination procedures, member appointments, and
  minutes of meetings.

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Accessible Public Transportation Policy

• 6.2.4 The accessible transportation plan shall,
  at a minimum, outline
• a) accessible public transportation policies
• b) Terms of Reference for the local advisory
  committee
• c) measures to achieve compliance with Clause 5
• d) types of services offered
• e) time of services offered through the family of
  services
• f) methodology used to determine the catchment
  service area
• g) the catchment service area
• h) base fare structure
• i) definition of pick-up time delay
• j) eligibility process and
• k) process to manage, evaluate and take necessary
  corrective action on customer feedback

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Accessible Public Transportation Policy

• 6.2.5 The accessible transportation plan shall,
  at a minimum, identify and report actual results
  against performance measures. Performance
  measures relating to all service options
  exclusive of conventional fixed route shall, at a
  minimum, include
• a) scheduled pick up times versus requested pick
  up times
• b) actual pick up times versus scheduled times
• c) trip denials
• d) missed or cancelled trips
• e) trip durations
• f) eligibility determination time and
• g) number and types of customer feedback.

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Time and Area of Service

• 6.3.2.1 The transportation provider shall provide
  the same hours and days of service as provided by
  fixed route public transit in the same catchment
  service area.
• 6.4 The transportation provider shall ensure that
  the accessible public transit service area be, at
  minimum, the same catchment area as the fixed
  route public transit catchment service area.

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6.5.1 Reservations

• For those accessible public transit service
  options requiring reservations, the
  transportation provider shall implement a booking
  policy that accepts bookings for service on a
  given day, to the extent that service is
  available, between the opening of the booking
  period the previous day and 3 hours prior to the
  published close of the booking period the
  previous day.

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6.7 Fares

• 6.7.1 The transportation provider shall apply the
  same base fare structure to all public transit
  services within a jurisdiction.
• 6.7.2 The transportation provider shall provide
  the same fare media options to all passengers
  within a jurisdiction. Where a fare media option
  is not yet accessible, the transportation
  provider shall provide an alternative option.

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Eligibility

• 6.9.1The transportation provider shall provide
  accessible public transit services to individuals
  with disabilities that prevent them from using
  fixed route public transit temporarily or
  permanently.
• 6.9.2 The transportation provider shall consider
  an individual eligible for accessible public
  transit services if the individuals disability
• a) prevents their ability to use fixed route
  public transit (unconditional eligibility)
• b) temporarily prevents their ability to use
  fixed route public transit (temporary
  eligibility) and/or
• c) environmental or physical barriers limit
  their ability to consistently use fixed route
  public transit (conditional eligibility).

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Eligibility Process

• 6.10.1 The transportation provider of accessible
  public transit services shall
• a) make available, upon request, all accessible
  public transit eligibility application
  information in
• accessible formats
• b) consider an applicant provisionally eligible
  if an eligibility determination has not been made
  within
• 7 calendar days following submission of the
  completed application and
• c) establish an independent appeal process for
  eligibility decisions that are unfavourable to
  the
• applicant with a final decision rendered
  within 14 calendar days of receipt of a request
  for appeal

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Standard Costing

• provisional incremental costing for Windsor
  associated with compliance
• Total incremental operating and capital cost over
  18 year period equals 10.6 million
• Annual ongoing operating cost 400,000

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Public Consultation
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Public Consultation

• the consultation process included
• public meetings throughout the Province with
  participation being by invitation only
  determined by ADO
• written submissions to the Minister
• on-line submissions to the Minister via Ministry
  of Community and Social Service website

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Windsors response Transportation Standards
response

• Maintaining municipal flexibility and opportunity
  in terms of meeting local needs
• Compliance requirements have to consider
• Undue hardship
• Safety
• Competing legislation
• Compliance will require new long-term sustainable
  funding for related operating and capital costs
• The framework and process to monitor and/or
  measure Standard compliance needs to be defined

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Windsors Response Transportation Standards

• standards must be viewed as a group
• In assessing significant social and economic
  benefits associated with creating a barrier free
  society
• there is a need to ensure from the cost side that
  all of the respective common and sector-specific
  proposed standards are considered. This is often
  omitted given the planned phased introduction of
  the standards.
• It is critical the Province harmonize the
  requirements of the common (core) and sector
  specific standards in terms of definitions,
  requirements and compliance schedules a task
  made easier by holding all completed common and
  sector specific standards in abeyance until all
  standards are completed

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Windsors Response Transportation Standards

• Standard Specific Messages
• Certain definitions require clarification ie
  transportable mobility aid
• Free Attendant Fares, and Blind and Deaf decals
  should be in a common standard versus
  sector-specific (5.35, 5.14, 5.15)
• Intent re boarding/deboarding assistance needs
  to be clarified (5.19)
• Service provider requirements re service animals
  needs to be clarified (5.26)
• Intent re trip restrictions needs to be
  clarified (6.8)
• The time periods associated with the eligibility
  and appeal process are too restrictive (6.10)

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Where do we go from here

• Await comments from the Minister
• T-SDC reconvene?
• Transportation Standards implemented
• Final goal.
• Ontario barrier free!!!!!
• Questions, comments and discussion!!