TransLink and municipalities throughout the Lower Mainland have made transit more accessible for people with disabilities in the past three years, according to the B.C. Paraplegic Association.
But the biggest issue for those trying to get out and about is public perception, according to Chris McBride, executive director with the B.C. Paraplegic Association.
"When they get on a bus, everyone is looking at them, they don't know how they're supposed to get into the right position, or whether they need to be hooked up to a belt to keep them attached, so there's a bit of a fear about using it," he said in a phone interview.
The association has worked with TransLink on accessibility issues.
TransLink's support for the association's annual Bus Stop Hop has been a great help, according to McBride.
"A lot of people realize just how easy it is to take transit and how it really opens up their world of possibilities and participating in their community," he said.
The hop is an Amazing Race style event held in the summer, with teams of two people with spinal cord injuries or disabilities, and two able-bodied people, taking different forms of transit - the Canada Line out to the airport, and the SeaBus over to North Vancouver, McBride said.
"It's a fun way to introduce people to the possibilities that transit has for them," he added.
Metro Vancouver is more accessible than many cities, McBride said.
"In general, the Metro Vancouver area has done a really fantastic job in creating accessible transit options compared to a lot of other cities that don't have accessible options," he said. "Vancouver's really unique in the world for its level of accessibility."
And that goes back over the years to the days when Mike Harcourt was mayor of Vancouver and focused on accessibility issues, McBride said.
"Before, in Vancouver, some of the SkyTrain stations didn't have elevators," he pointed out.
TransLink continues to improve accessibility - such as making the Canada Line SkyTrain stations accessible, he said.
But more work needs to be done in suburban areas, he added.
Accessibility has improved in municipalities around the region, according to an update TransLink sent out for the International Day for Persons with Disabilities in December.
In 2008, 45.2 per cent of all bus stops in the city were accessible to wheelchairs, power chairs and walkers. By this November, 52.3 per cent of bus stops were accessible.
But that is still behind levels in four other cities.
Vancouver and Surrey both have 71.9 per cent of bus stops now accessible, North Vancouver City has 69.2 per cent, and Richmond has 56.5 per cent.
More than 60.5 per cent of bus stops throughout the region are now accessible.
To be considered accessible, a stop must have a proper ramp and landing pad, and the corresponding return stop on the route must be accessible, too, the update stated.
The company splits the cost of upgrading stops with the municipality.
TransLink's Access Transit Secretariat, established in 2008, works with the disability community, primarily through the access transit users' advisory committee, according to the update.
Other accomplishments made since the secretariat was established include:
- a fully wheelchair-and scooter-accessible bus fleet - since April 2008;
- wider aisles on new buses and SkyTrain cars;
- automatic "next stop" voice announcements and digital displays to help people with visual and hearing impairments know where they're going; and
- work underway to develop low-floor HandyDART and Community Shuttle vehicles.
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