Your Journey

There is no intent to remove stops due to the introduction Family of Services trips. If your disability limits the distance you can walk you may be eligible for Wheel-Trans service for that portion of your trip.

The new application process is designed to identify and assess any barriers applicants may have with respect to using conventional transit. These conditions will all be considered when determining your category of eligibility. An applicant’s ability to wait, given their specific disability, will be assessed as part of the initial application. Our goal is to match the level of accessible service a customer requires with their ability to use conventional transit.

TTC has implemented a first-on, last-off policy with driver assistance, meaning the driver will try their best to board you first; at the end of your destination you would wait until everybody has exited so that you can maneuver more easily and exit the bus. However, please keep in mind that individuals may have ‘invisible’ disabilities that are not immediately apparent to other customers who also need accommodation.

Yes. By the end of 2016, PRESTO will be available on all TTC Wheel-Trans vehicles.

For general information on PRESTO, please refer to the (ADD LINK HERE).

While the details are yet to be worked out, you will get a PRESTO card with the CNIB pass on it. Contact TTC Customer Service at 416-393-3030 for additional information as it becomes available.

When scheduling Family of Services trips, we will take connection times into account and only consider trip options with easily managed connections.

When scheduling Family of Services trips, we will take connection times into account and only consider trip options with easily managed connections.

We will be implementing a new scheduling system that will consider the mobility needs of individual customers, and perform checks to ensure that no barriers to travel exist on your planned route. If it identifies an issue that would prevent you from travelling, either another route using conventional transit would be scheduled for you, or Wheel-Trans service would transport you for that part of your trip.

We will also be monitoring active trips. For example, if you are on a Wheel-Trans vehicle, being taken to a subway station, and the elevator goes out of service, we will notify the driver who will take you to an alternate station or directly to your destination.

The future goal is to have a system which will notify you via email, text or phone call that your ride is approaching. Note that traffic changes may impact the actual arrival time.

If you use a mobility device, the bus driver will lower the ramp for you. Communicate your needs to the driver, request help, and ask him to wait. Trains announce upcoming stops/stations and on which side the doors will open. Prepare yourself prior to arriving at the station stop so that you can exit more easily.

Wheel-Trans is not permitted to carry passengers outside of Toronto. We are working with other transit properties to facilitate easy transfers and simplified booking for regional travel.

Wheel-Trans is not permitted to carry passengers outside of Toronto. We are working with other transit properties to facilitate easy transfers and simplified booking for regional travel.

In addition to the audible announcements, TTC has implemented visual next stop indicators across all conventional services.

We are currently investigating solutions to address the subway gap. We are also working to post signs for boarding areas.

We will be offering same-day booking in 2017 as part of the Family of Services delivery model.

Wheel-Trans has over 48,000 registered customers. Some days the volume of rides is much higher than others. On those days, we may only be able to offer one-way service.

With the implementation of Family of Services, we expect many trips to be shorter, allowing vehicles to serve more customers. With this increased capacity, the number of times we can only offer a one-way trip should be greatly reduced.

You will be tracked based on knowledge of the schedule and our vehicle location technology. We are also investigating expanded options to monitor our service and support our customers.

You can continue to contact us by phone using the Priority Line. We are also looking at other options such as mobile technologies and/or updates to our existing online booking system.

Overall journey time under Family of Services is anticipated to be comparable to existing Wheel-Trans service.

We are looking to ensure mobility transfer hubs are clean, dry and well lit. We hope to link them with facilities such as shopping malls or other city properties or existing hubs where there are multiple modes like subways, GO Transit, streetcar, and buses.

The City of Toronto provides the seating at streetcar and bus stops; we will endeavour to work with them to improve seating at stops.

If you were to be met by a Wheel-Trans vehicle and it is after the pick-up window we provided when you booked your trip, please call the Priority Line immediately. If you are to be met by a conventional bus or streetcar, please wait for the next scheduled vehicle to arrive before calling.

The colour of the Priority Seating has been changed to reinforce the regulation that these seats are to be used by customers with disabilities or mobility devices.

From the TTC Priority Seating Policy:

If you do not have a disability and are sitting in one of the designated priority seats, you must give up your seat for a customer with a disability, the elderly, or a pregnant woman. A customer with a disability occupying a priority seat is not required to move for another customer with a disability. In this situation, use of the seats is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Operators will not intervene in this circumstance. However, a transit enforcement officer may issue a ticket under TTC By-law No. 1. Persons who do not comply with priority seating signs may be subject to penalties under the By-law and liable for a fine of up to $235.00, plus applicable charges as provided for in the Provincial Offences Act.

TTC is updating the design of these seats to make them easier to use.

One of our initiatives under the 10-year strategy is that of employee engagement, it is essential that we keep our employees informed about all the changes, provide them with the necessary training, and support them. This training will cover both AODA requirements and the changes to Wheel-Trans service.

We intend to expand the training program for TTC operators and front-line staff focused on educating them on the needs and requirements of accessible transportation users. For example, operators will continue to be taught how to support users with special requirements and how to resolve potential conflicts with other customers on issues such as lowering ramps, and ensuring Priority Seating is available.

To ensure success, implementation will be gradual: all 6500 operators won’t become part of Family of Services at the same time. The new service delivery model will be introduced slowly over a period of time.

One of our initiatives under the 10-year strategy is that of employee engagement, it is essential that we keep our employees informed with all the changes, provide them with the necessary training, and support them. This training will cover both AODA requirements and the changes to Wheel-Trans service.

We intend to expand the training program for TTC operators and front-line staff focused on educating them with respect to the needs and requirements of accessible transportation users. For example, operators will continue to be taught how to support users with special requirements and how to resolve potential conflicts with other customers with respect to issues such as lowering ramps, and ensuring Priority Seating is available.

Moreover, to ensure success, implementation will be gradual: all 6500 operators won’t become part of Family of Services at the same time; rather, the new service delivery model will be introduced slowly over a period of time.

We intend to develop a protocol for positioning mobility devices on buses. In addition, we plan to avoid scheduling multiple mobility devices on the same bus.

If your mobility device cannot be accommodated in some areas of the conventional system (vehicle doors, elevators etc.) we will record that fact in our registration system as a condition of travel. When you make a reservation we will plot a route that meets your requirements.

We intend to expand the training program for TTC operators and front-line staff focused on educating them with respect to the needs and requirements of accessible transportation users. For example, operators will continue to be taught how to support users with special requirements and how to resolve potential conflicts with other customers with respect to issues such as lowering ramps, and ensuring Priority Seating is available.

If the problem is limited to isolated incidents then we would like to know the details. While it is possible that an unavoidable incident has occurred (e.g., bus cut off by another vehicle) we would like to be able to inspect the vehicle and/or ensure that the operator is following standard practices.

In terms of speed, riding a subway is not much different than riding a Wheel-Trans vehicle. Trains accelerate slowly and come to a gradual stop. We have customers using mobility devices riding the subway today.

The accessible taxi and sedan services provide over 70% of our daily trips and we intend to continue with this model. The actual daily mix depends on our ridership but we are not anticipating a significant decrease in the percentage of ambulatory customers. If anything we expect that the new eligibility criteria will shift the balance towards ambulatory customers.

Yes. We currently keep track of such incidents and will continue to do so in future.

One of our initiatives under the 10-year strategy is that of employee engagement. It is essential that we keep our employees informed with all the changes, provide them with the necessary training, and support them.

We intend to expand the training program for TTC drivers focused on educating them on the needs and requirements of accessible transportation users. For example, operators will continue to be taught how to support users with special requirements and how to resolve potential conflicts with other customers on issues such as lowering ramps, and ensuring Priority Seating is available.

To ensure success, implementation will be gradual: all 6500 drivers won’t become part of Family of Services at the same time. The new system will be introduced slowly over a period of time.

We are attempting to add more visible signs, especially in large complex stations such as Yonge-Bloor. We also plan to have pamphlets and maps available inside the stations. At the moment there is information available on for each (ADD LINK HERE). Along with the location of elevators and escalators at stations, dates of scheduled maintenance are generally posted. You are also welcome to ask station staff or push the talk button in the Designated Waiting Area (DWA).

Wheel-Trans’ strategy and transformation program was developed with all TTC departments, including our elevator and escalating devices staff. We are going to be much more closely tied to the rest of the TTC system to ensure that our customers' needs are communicated to the TTC so elevators and other accessibility features are consistently working for you.

It should also be noted that in some cases, elevators and escalators that offer access to our stations are provided by the property owner (e.g., malls, office buildings) and are not under our control. We will work with these parties to ensure that we have up to date information on these devices where possible.

As of August 2016 50% of subways are accessible. That is growing by about 3% per year. By 2025, all stations must be accessible and must have an elevator (please refer to the TTC Easier Access page for additional information). That is why it is a 10-year strategy.

If you require an elevator we will record that fact in our registration system as a condition of travel. When you make a reservation we will plot a route that does not take you to a station without an elevator.

Please refer to the TTC (ADD LINK HERE) page for information on upgrading of stations and vehicles.

Please refer to the TTC (ADD HERE LINK) page for information on upgrading of stations and vehicles.

If your mobility device cannot be accommodated in some areas of the conventional system (e.g., vehicle doors, elevators etc.) we will record that fact in our registration system as a condition of travel. When you make a reservation we will plot a route that meets your requirements.

While there are washrooms at some subway stations, we cannot at this time address whether or not each station will have one. That question, has been forwarded to the appropriate personnel for consideration.

Yes. Emergency procedures covering power outages exist today but are to be reviewed and updated if necessary as part of the Family of Services roll-out.