HandyDART riders call for change at public forum

Nearly 100 people attended a public forum in Coquitlam on Saturday intended to pressure TransLink and the B.C. government to increase funding for HandyDART services.

The meeting comes just days after a group called the HandyDART Riders Committee released a report that claims documents obtained through a freedom of information request prove that HandyDART service denials have increased 670 per cent since 2008.

• HandyDART trip denials up 670 percent since 2008, group says

The report also claims that over 10,000 hours of service have been cut, with no plans to increase service hours before 2023, and that TransLinks efforts to increase efficiency by using taxis is failing people who rely upon the service.

I wouldnt be here today if it wasnt for the HandyDART. Its a shame what theyre trying to do the service, says Gary Brown, a HandyDART rider.

Gwen Lees son Jeffrey relies upon HandyDART daily, but recently he has been switched over to a taxi service. Lee says the taxi drivers often lack the necessary skills to ensure a safe trip for her son.

One time he was dropped off across the street. The cab driver took off and there was Jeffrey ready to run across the road and there was an oncoming car, she told CBC News.

If I hadnt been on the steps watching out for him I couldnt warn him so I had to yell out at him to stop.

Lees sentiments were echoed by Mohammad Daliri, a HandyDART driver.

HandyDART is important because for us, its not just a job. Its emotional. We know the families, theyre our friends, he says.

According to the Amalgamated Transit Union, experienced drivers are being laid off faster than they can be replaced and the entire system needs improvement.

Finances is a difficult problem, but I believe they should be moving us in house to save any profit motive. These are efficiencies within the system that can be done, says Bob Chitrenky with the union.

In a statement to CBC News today, TransLink says it recognizes the growing demand for its services, but its present financial situation does not allow for an expansion of services.

TransLinkalso says that allocating service hours to taxi companies will help provide 7,000 trips for HandyDART riders that would have otherwise been denied.