Woman calls for more accessible taxis after waiting 3 hours for a cab in Coquitlam
Woman and her companion were examined by paramedics as they waited, shivering in the rain
A wheelchair-bound senior is calling for more enforcement of B.C.'s transportation laws after waiting three hours for an accessible taxi on Canada Day.
Merle Smith was at the Canada Day festivities in Coquitlam, B.C., when she called a local taxi service, Bel-Air Taxi, for a ride.
Smith says she called at 8:30 p.m. — before the fireworks had even started — because she knew the crowds would get bigger and roads would be blocked off.
She says the dispatcher told her a driver would be there in 15 to 20 minutes. Three hours later, soaked by the rain and chilled to the bone, she and her sister finally got a cab ride home.
"It's quite demoralizing, isn't it? It's very depressing, and it's very disappointing," she said.
"[Taxis] are not meeting the needs of people with disabilities, and quite frankly they don't care."
'Smoke and mirrors'
Smith, 70, has been a disability rights advocate since she become quadriplegic when she was 14. She says she was evaluating the Canada Day event for the city to make sure it met accessibility needs like ramps and adequate seating.
Smith also happens to be one of the people who pushed the B.C. Passenger Transportation Board, which regulates the taxi industry in B.C., to require companies to prioritize patrons with disabilities.
"It's infuriating to think that there is no effort to stick to the intention of the program," Smith said.
"It's smoke and mirrors in terms of what kind of service we're getting."
Bel-Air Taxi could not be reached for comment.
'It was disheartening'
Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart was at the event and had stopped by the command centre to thank staff and volunteers towards the end of the night.
Stewart says that's when he found out about Smith, whom he knows from her advocacy work, and the predicament she was in.
"To have it be her facing that challenge was incredibly frustrating and, well, it was disheartening," he said.
By time he reached her, Smith and her sister had already been waiting for two hours. Event volunteers had also been trying to reach the company. Stewart says the pair were shivering "aggressively."
"It was incredibly frustrating," Stewart said. "I couldn't believe that this situation had been allowed to continue for two hours at that point."
'We need some enforcement'
Stewart said 15 per cent of the taxi fleet in Coquitlam must be accessible and whenever a taxi company has applied to expand its fleet, the city has requested that it include more accessible vehicles, too.
Stewart and Smith are calling on the Passenger Transportation Board to enforce its requirements.
"I can get a ride home with someone else, but I was unable to offer this woman a ride home," he said.
The number of accessible taxis approved in the province increased 51 per cent between 2012 and 2017, the board says on its website.
"Operators may use wheelchair accessible taxis to serve any passenger; however, priority must be given to persons with wheelchairs or other mobility devices," it says.
The provincial government said there are 454 wheelchair accessible taxis, representing 16 per cent of the total fleet in B.C. The majority, 371, operate within Metro Vancouver.
With files from The Canadian Press