Winnipeg's Wheelchair and Accessible Vehicles (WAV) program has significantly reduced wait times to just 20 minutes, leading to a substantial increase in usage.

For those who use wheelchairs or need accessible transportation, navigating the city can be challenging, particularly in winter when sidewalks are often inadequately cleared. Without someone to drive them who has the necessary equipment, many individuals struggle to find transportation. Until recently, the main options were to pre-book a ride with Winnipeg Transit Plus or rely on a limited number of accessible vehicles for hire.

Over the past three years, the City of Winnipeg has piloted the WAV program to enhance the availability of accessible transportation and improve on-demand services.

The WAV initiative involves partnerships with Duffy and Unicity taxi services, along with the Independent Living Resource Group, to develop new technologies, training programs, and incentives aimed at expanding the accessible vehicle fleet. Paid training has been offered through the Independent Living Resource Group to attract new drivers, while incentives have been provided to vehicle owners to grow the fleet.

Funding for the WAV program comes from an accessibility surcharge. During the pilot phase, this surcharge was $0.70 per trip for either taxis or Personal Transportation Providers (PTPs) like Uber. Currently, the fee has been reduced to $0.03 for taxi trips and $0.10 for PTP trips.

(Article extracted from the Penticton Herald, 9th October 2024 Edition)