Thursday December 19, 2024 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
People who rely on wheelchair-accessible taxis will have more options to move between work, school and appointments as the Province helps to increase the number of accessible taxis.
The third round of funding for the Passenger Transportation Accessibility Program (PTAP) launched on Monday this week (December 16, 2024) to help ensure British Coumbians can get to where they need to go.
The Ministry of Transportation and Transit says the program helps taxi operators buy and maintain wheelchair-accessible vehicles, increasing the number of these vehicles in service.
Addressing wait times:
People who depend on accessible taxis historically have experienced longer wait times or lack of service. To address this, the Province developed the PTAP program in 2022 to increase the availability of accessible taxis by offsetting the costs that taxi companies and owner-operators face in providing wheelchair-accessible vehicles.
Approximately $7 million is available for this round of funding to partially subsidize eligible applicants for costs related to vehicle maintenance, converting an existing vehicle, buying a converted vehicle, or purchasing a new vehicle and converting it.
This is on top of the almost $10 million from the first and second rounds of funding in 2022 and 2023. This year, rebates are also available to offset the higher costs of fuel and insurance.
Applications open to mid-February:
The acquisition and conversion rebate will remain open all year to ensure companies can access funding as soon as a purchase is made. Applications for the maintenance portion of the rebate will be accepted until February 14, 2025.
Funding for the program comes from revenues collected from the per-trip fee that came into effect in September 2019 to offset the regulatory costs of ride-hailing operations and support accessible transportation. Unlike ride-hailing companies, taxi companies are required, as part of their operating licence, to reserve a portion of their fleet for accessible vehicles.
Details about funding eligibility are posted online.
