The TTC has announced that it will be changing its Wheel-Trans eligibility. These changes will expand the scope of services offered to include persons with sensory, mental-health or cognitive disabilities.

ARCH argued that this very expansion should have occurred in 1999, and the failure to do so was discriminatory. You can read about that case here (link). The case was wrongly decided. Both the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada refused leave to appeal.

TTC should be congratulated for this expansion of its services. However, the changed criteria for those expected to access the “family of services” must be based on actual ability to use these services.

In the past, criteria have been designed to achieve a financial target rather than being based on a true functional assessment of a person’s ability to ride regular transit. Bakerlaw has previously litigated this issue with another transportation provider.

If you want to learn more about what this change means for some users, read this Toronto Star article here (link).

You can learn more about TTC’s Wheel-Trans program here (link).