Companions Policy
Policy Statement
The Companions Policy defines the rules and guidelines for customers who are travelling on Wheel-Trans with a companion. This policy includes group bookings.
Scope
The policy applies to all persons travelling on Wheel-Trans.
Responsibility
TTC Wheel-Trans staff, including contracted service providers is responsible for following this policy. TTC Wheel-Trans Supervisors and Managers are responsible for ensuring this policy is followed correctly.
Legislative Requirements
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (2005);
Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation, Ont. Reg. 191/11; and
Definitions
A Companion is defined as a person who is accompanying a Wheel-Trans customer during their trip and is not the customer’s support person or their dependant child. Another Wheel-Trans customer is not considered a companion.
Support Person as defined by the AODA means, in relation to a person with a disability, another person who accompanies the person with a disability in order to help with communication, mobility, personal care or medical needs or with access to goods, services or facilities.Cross-boundary Travel refers to trips that require travelling outside the municipal boundaries of the City of Toronto.
Policy
Companions
- Each Wheel-Trans customer can travel with one (1) companion and one (1) support person. The companion and support person must be travelling to and from the same address as the customer.
- Customers must indicate at the time of booking if they are travelling with a companion, and if their companion is travelling with a mobility aid. Wheel-Trans will not transport companions who are not pre-booked for a trip.
- Companions must pay a regular TTC fare each time they take a trip on Wheel-Trans.
- It is the responsibility of Wheel-Trans customers to make themselves familiar with policies, rules and regulations of the GTHA specialized transit agencies when travelling a cross-boundary trip with a companion.
Group Bookings
- Groups of registered Wheel-Trans customers who would like to travel together can request group occasional door-to-door and/or Family of Services trips. Wheel-Trans will try to accommodate group booking requests to the best of its ability but cannot guarantee them.
- Wheel-Trans asks for as much notice as possible for group bookings. Seven (7) days advance notice is preferred.
- Wheel-Trans customer ID numbers for all of the customers who are part of the group booking must be provided at the time of booking.
- Customers must indicate at the time of requesting a group booking if they are travelling with mobility devices, a companion, a support person, any animals, large carry-on items or anything else that may impact vehicle capacity.
- Wheel-Trans will not transport customers, companions, support persons and animals who are not pre-booked for a group booking trip.
- All customers, support persons, and companions that are part of the same group booking must travel to and from the same address.
- Customers who do not show up for the pre-booked group booking will have the late-cancellation & no-show policy applied and will have to use Life Happens Points for any late-cancellations or no-shows.
- Group bookings where service is mandated to be provided by the school board will not be accepted. For example Wheel-Trans is not required to provide transportation for school trips. Toronto school board is mandated to provide accessible transportation option.
Exceptions
Customers who would like to travel with more than one (1) companion, can contacted Wheel-Trans Reservations on the day of their trip to determine if any additional companions could be accommodated.
Wheel-Trans may consider exceptions for trips that are scheduled on observed holidays.
Exceptions will be treated by Wheel-Trans on a case-by-case basis.