Bradford’s accessibility advisory committee wants to keep the motor running on plans to improve mobility options within the town.
Based on a recommendation from the committee, council approved going to public procurement for accessible taxi services in town, during its April 2 meeting.
That includes offering two contracts that “will not only increase the availability of wheelchair-accessible taxicab services to residents, but will also assist in creating an awareness of accessible transit services offered within the town,” says a report by Valerie Vicary, committee coordinator and recently appointed deputy clerk.
Ward 7 Coun. Peter Dykie also chairs the committee and was optimistic about the benefits to residents.
“It provides a very important service and now we could have a second one in this municipality which could be very helpful,” he said.
The first contract is to operate the accessible taxi exclusively in Bradford West Gwillimbury for a period of five years, during which time the taxi must be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
That contract also includes a one-time grant of $38,000 from the committee’s budget to help cover the typical costs of upfitting a minivan to become wheelchair-accessible with a rear entrance ramp, or to be used toward the cost of purchasing a new van with those features, which costs between $80,000 and $95,000 according to the report.
The contract also includes a partnership with the town to promote the service via the town’s website, news releases and social media.
The second contract assists with the first as a non-monetary marketing and awareness agreement for the on-demand service making use of similar promotion techniques.
Vicary explained to council that the contracts were split based on feedback from the three taxi brokers in town (BB Taxi, Singh Taxi and Town Taxi), of which one wasn’t interested, one was only interested in the marketing portion, and one wanted to add an accessible vehicle to their fleet.
Ward 5 Coun. Peter Ferragine recalled residents’ concerns that the existing accessible cab in town wasn’t always available for those who needed it because it was being used to serve others. That was supported by responses to the town’s accessible taxi cab survey from last year, which found that of 43 respondents, 28 required the service but 19 had encountered a situation where it wasn’t available.
While Vicary explained the town can’t force a broker to only use the accessible taxi for those who need it, she said both contracts also require brokers to provide performance data to the town on a monthly basis for review and consideration.
Mayor James Leduc further stated that any brokers not providing the services could be required to refund the grant.
“We will definitely hold their feet to the fire to make sure that is available at appropriate times,” he said.
Bradford/Bondhead Limousine Taxi (BB Taxi) previously provided accessible taxi services through a five-year contract with the town, and while they still offer those services as a private business, the contract expired in June 2023.
After that the committee recommended, and council approved, surveying brokers and residents to assess the need for more accessible taxis.
The public survey ran from Aug. 16 to Sept. 13, and again from Oct. 4 to Nov. 1. Based on the results as well as a review of the usage data from 2018-2023 which showed “the overall ridership had positively increased and displayed projected growth,” the committee requested at their Dec. 11 meeting options for accessible taxi grants and agreements that could be used in town.
“At the end of the day, we took our time. We didn’t rush it. We made it public,” Dykie said.
The two agreements are expected to be made public through social media outlets and the town’s website and all licensed taxi brokers in town are welcome to apply.
