Blind man wants to force TTC to announce bus stops

Ablind man who won a challenge1½ years ago to force the Toronto Transit Commission to announce subway stops is now going after buses.

A hearing for Toronto lawyer David Lepofsky's latest Ontario Human Rights Commissionchallenge began Thursday.He's asking that the TTC ensure announcements are made at each busstop.

After an 11-year fight by Lepofsky and a 2005 human rightstribunalruling, the TTC began installing an automated announcement service on subway cars, but the ruling didn't cover buses.

Lepofsky doesn't want to speak publicly about his latest challenge because he will be called as a witness.

Others with visual impairments, however, echo the problems he's outlined before.

Marcie Cummings says she's frustrated by the hit-and-miss approach by bus drivers, who sometimes call out major stops and forget to tell her when it's her stop.

That problem, she says, is akin to physically covering up street signs, leaving people disoriented and unable to find their way. If that happened, Cummings pointed out,it would quickly be fixed.

"If we covered up all the street signs and made you deal with what I deal with every day,it would happen really quickly.Then all of a sudden everybody would want those streets signs uncovered," said Cummings.

"Well, that's basically what I want.I want to know where I am without having to ask someone every five minutes," she said.

TTC Chair Adam Giambrone said the commission is not disputing the need to call out all bus stops and is planning retrofits of all buses to make that happen.

"We're moving as fast as we possibly can.There may be disagreement on that, but we hope the tribunal will recognize we are attempting to rectify the situation," said Giambrone.

A pilot project is currently underway on the Bayview bus route with an automated voice announcing stops.