Ndilǫ, N.W.T., woman calls for more accessible-transit options after scrambling to help her disabled daughter

A mother in Ndilǫ, N.W.T., is speaking out after a frustrating experience this past weekend trying to find accessible after-hours transport for her daughter who is blind and uses a wheelchair. 

Yellowknife has several taxi companies serving the area, but just one of them has a vehicle that can accommodate wheelchairs. Violet Martin of Ndilǫ often relies on that taxi to transport her adult daughter Vicki Lee to and from the hospital, where she lives for most of the week.

This past Saturday night, Martin called for that cab for Vicki Lee to get to the hospital and was told the vehicle wasn't available because it had been impounded earlier that day. That left Martin with no options. 

"I was so disappointed and didn't know what to do," she said. "No wheelchair van was available anywhere, and my daughter was crying."

Martin knew she had missed the cut-off time for calling the Yellowknife Accessible Transit System (YATS), part of the city's public transit fleet, which costs $2 to ride and runs roughly between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

She's used it before, but says she typically prefers paying for the taxi for more pickup flexibility and a quicker ride.

"The YATS people are very nice people, but things happen, sometimes we're running late for different reasons and they never wait for you, they just take off if you're five minutes late," she said.

Martin decided to cast her net wide on Saturday, and called the boarding houses in the city, who told her there were no drivers available to pick up her daughter. The Yellowknife Fire Department told her a ride from Ndilǫ to the hospital would cost $1,000.

Martin says she's heard from other disabled people in the city who say they often can't find affordable, accessible transit past a certain time.

"Some people come in from Edmonton late at night, and some of them need a wheelchair taxi. I don't even know if the taxi ends up picking them up, or what happens," she said.

Pick-up by taxi

Martin decided to call Yellowknife bylaw services, which had impounded the accessible taxi earlier on Saturday. Bylaw officers eventually allowed the taxi company to use the vehicle to pick up Vicki Lee that evening under special circumstances.

"I couldn't believe it, I was so happy," Martin said. "The driver even agreed to come pick her up long after his shift had ended."

Martin says she doesn't want anyone to experience a transit "blackout" period like she and her daughter did, and is considering selling her current vehicle to buy a wheelchair-accessible van in order to avoid future incidents. 

"It can leave you feeling really helpless. People in that situation many times are forced to shell out for an ambulance, or use the fire department. I don't make that kind of money," she said.

The City of Yellowknife told CBC News there are no plans to extend the hours of YATS.

Last month, the city announced a new fleet of city buses will be introduced in the coming months, including eight new conventional buses and two new buses for YATS.

In an email to CBC News, a city spokesperson said all of the 10 new buses are designed for wheelchair accessibility, and will have "accessible features with low floors for an enhanced user experience."

CBC News met Vicki Lee Martin at the Yellowknife hospital Tuesday, where her mother said she had a message for the driver that picked her up on Saturday night.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," she said.