Victoria resident says ­­they're often discriminated against for using a wheelchair on public transit

A Victoria, B.C., resident says taking B.C. Transit can be difficult and anxiety-inducing for someone who is physically disabled.

Daniel James Sands has been in a wheelchair for less than a year. They were diagnosed with HIV and cancer in September 2015.

(Sands prefers to use the non-binary pronoun "they" in self reference.)

Sands says they developed asthma and severe shortness of breath from the ensuing chemotherapy and radiation and now uses a wheelchair in order to go about their daily life.

The wheelchair is small, manual and compact. But regardless, Sands says they are often refused entry onto B.C. Transit buses.

"The driver just says, 'oh, we don't have enough room for you,'" Sands told David Lennam, guest host of All Points West. 

"I take the bus up to six times a day sometimes. I can see when the bus is full. If it's during rush hour ... if the bus is full, I can accept that."

But Sands says many B.C. Transit bus drivers will let other people walk onto the bus first, and then will refuse to put the ramp down so Sands can enter.

"They assume that there is not enough room or that people won't move," Sands said. 

However, Sands says that most of the time people will move to the back of the bus to make room for the wheelchair. 

'It always gets more heated'

Sands says when they speak to bus drivers about their concerns, the drivers often become confrontational and defensive. 

"I don't know if the drivers are trained in conflict resolution. [But] just saying, 'I understand your situation and I'm sorry' ... that goes a long way," said Sands. 

"But if I disagree with any decision that the bus driver makes, it always gets more heated."

When those in wheelchairs board a B.C. Transit bus, they are manually strapped in by the bus driver, as the buckle is too high to reach for most.

"It gives me a lot of anxiety because every situation and every bus driver is different. Sometimes they don't strap me in. Sometimes they do. So there's this big inconsistency."

Sands says they would like to see a system on B.C. Transit buses where the physically disabled can strap themselves in. 

"When I get on the bus and I have to wait for a driver to put the ramp down and get out from his seat and come back and buckle me in ... and then the reverse when I'm disembarking ... it just takes a lot of time and it takes away from my independence."

Sands says they have been calling B.C. Transit with a complaint whenever an incident occurs on the bus but hasn't seen any change yet. They would like to see B.C. Transit pursue direct consultation with people with varying disabilities.

B.C. Transit's response 

In a statement to CBC's All Points West, B.C. Transit said it is sorry for Sands' experience and is working directly with them. 

"We expect all of our staff to be professional with customers. If there is a complaint about a driver, we work hard to investigate and follow up as appropriate," read the statement.  

"Our drivers do their best to encourage customers to move back but we also strongly encourage our customers on board to move to the back of the bus in order to accommodate as many passengers as possible."

B.C. Transit says its entire transit fleet offers low-floor services to accommodate people using mobility devices.

Sands says HandyDART`s transit services do not match up with their daily transit needs. 

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