Staff Report #4 – Annual Accessibility Plan Update

Staff Report #4

November 24, 2021

To All Commissioners

Re: Annual Accessibility Plan Update

Recommendation

That the report be NOTED and FILED.

Background

Consistent with the requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) regulations, the Commission’s Accessibility Plan was updated in 2019, and covers the period of 2020-2025. The plan was developed in consultation with the Accessible Public Transit Service Advisory Committee (APTSAC), and included public feedback gathered through drop in sessions, online survey and customer contacts. The final 2020-2025 Accessibility Plan was approved by the Commission at the November 28, 2019 meeting.

The following table provides an overview of the initiatives from the 2020-2025 Accessibility Plan which were scheduled to be addressed as part of the 2021 work program as well as a status of each, noting further detail with respect to those initiatives that have been deferred is provided later in the report.

Status of 2021 Accessibility Plan Initiatives

The following provides greater detail with respect to the projects listed above that have been deferred due to the pandemic COVID, as well as others that have been completed.

Consider Additional Methods to Communication Policies – This initiative was intended to identify and gather feedback on additional methods that could be utilized to communicate various policies which impact LTC customers. Through a review of common inquiries and/or customer contacts relating to specific policies, administration was to identify those policies that need to be better communicated and develop an outreach campaign. Currently these policies are available on the corporate website, and the public is provided links to same should they request information. This initiative was placed on hold given communication resources have been redirected to ensure that all public health and COVID-related policies and procedures are well-communicated to both LTC customers and employees. This initiative will be carried forward for consideration on a future Work Program within the Accessibility Plan horizon (2020-2025).

Consult public re communication of temporary disruptions – This consultation was intended to gather feedback from the public with respect to the manner in which the communication relating to temporary service disruptions is disseminated. Given the resource issues associated with dealing with the pandemic, this initiative is deferred for consideration in a future year within the Accessibility Plan horizon (2020-2025).

Update Get on Board Booklet – The goal of this initiative was to identify a manner in which to update the materials provided in the “Get on Board” booklet, which provided step by step instructions for riders new to the conventional transit service. In 2021, London Transit partnered with MagnusCards to develop and host LTC specific content on their MagnusCards app. The free mobile app provides structured, step-by-step guidance with a game design to help learn how to ride London Transit’s conventional service. Although the app was designed for those with autism or other cognitive special needs, it can also be useful to anyone just learning how to ride public transit, newcomers to London or seniors. The information ‘card decks’ include the following topics; How to Ride Transit, Planning a Trip, Priority & Courtesy Seating, Purchasing Fares, Riding the Bus with Accessibility Devices, Safety & Getting Help, Staying Up-to-Date, Using a Smart Card, and Using Real-Time Bus Information. The LTC content launched on October 28, when it became available for download. As part of the contract with MagnusCards, downloads and use of the application will be monitored and reported on.

Communications campaign re: priority seating and service animals – This program is a partnership between the Ontario Public Transit Association and the Ministry of Seniors and Accessibility, intended to provide a uniform and consistent communications campaign to all Ontario transit systems, with a focus on priority seating and service animals. This program was deferred from the 2020 Work Program, but re-commenced in 2021. The campaign development has been completed and transit systems have committed to rolling out the campaign in January 2022. The primary focus of the rollout at LTC will be through the placement of interior bus cards on the fleet.

Implement Smart Card Readers on Specialized – This program was deferred due to limited access to the system provider during 2020. Discussions with the provider have resumed with respect to the preferred technology to be utilized. Once the technology has been finalized, equipment will be installed on the specialized fleet, noting it is anticipated this project will be completed in 2022.

Utilize non-accommodated data to plan for service expansion – Service expansion plans for 2020 were deferred for consideration in 2021 given the impacts of COVID on both ridership as well as budget. These improvements were approved as part of the 2021 budget; however, given the ongoing impacts on demand relating to the pandemic, the additional service was not required. Beginning in October 2022, a number of the recreational programs that drove weekday evening demand for specialized service have restarted, and as such, service has been added to accommodate the increased demand. The approach to slowly add service back as demand warrants will continue to be utilized until such time as the service levels have returned to those in place in 2019, after which the service improvements approved for 2021 will begin to be introduced.

Regular Consultation with APTSAC – Meetings with the Accessible Public Transit Service Advisory Committee (APTSAC) were deferred in 2020 due to pandemic-related impacts, but were resumed in 2021 via video-conference. It is anticipated these meetings will continue in this format until such time as all public health measures relating to in-person meetings have been lifted.

A further requirement of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) is for conventional transit service providers to hold an annual public meeting to allow the public, including persons with disabilities, the opportunity to participate in a review of the accessibility plan and provide feedback. Compliance with this requirement has traditionally been handled through the annual drop-in sessions which are attended by members of staff as well as the Commission where the Accessibility Plan and progress against same is one of the key themes. The annual drop-in session has been deferred to 2022 given the pandemic and related restrictions surrounding public gatherings.

Subsequent to Commission review, the status update included in this report will be posted on the corporate website consistent with requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, and the public will be encouraged to provide any feedback relating to the Plan and/or the annual update via email or phone. Feedback gathered will be compiled and shared with both the APTSAC and the Commission at a future date.

Recommended by:

Kelly S. Paleczny, General Manager