Niagara Specialized Transit is a Regional service that provides inter-municipal transportation to medical, employment, and educational appointments for clients who are physically unable to board conventional transit options. In December of 2015, NST switched service providers from the Red Cross to BTS Network Inc. Following the switch, several clients have come forward to complain about the quality of service under the new company.
Rhys Evans is a Niagara College student with Cerebral Palsy who uses a wheelchair. Rhys relies on the service to attend classes in Welland and to get to medical appointments.
“The first time they came to pick me up they did not have the necessary equipment,” he said. “They had to go back and get me another vehicle with the equipment and accessibility features that I need.”
From that first day, issues have continued to mount.
“They are constantly late,” said Rhys. “It’s an inconvenience to my education and my family. And when you call and ask questions about their service they are rude and disrespectful.”
Jessica Hendricks, another Niagara College student who uses the service, shared similar complaints.
“Sometimes when I cancel, they still show up at my house because the driver didn’t get the message,” she said. “A few times they have arrived early to bring me to school, due to drivers being confused by the schedule. Sometimes I’m completely forgotten about.”
For Rhys, it all came to a head on Jan 27th, when the driver sent to pick him up did not know how to operate the equipment because he wasn’t trained properly. “My dad had to help him tie me down.”
These experiences have left both students feeling like second-class citizens.
“I don’t feel like I’m being treated with respect,” said Rhys. “I don’t feel like I’m being given my independence. I’m 23 years old and I want my independence back.”
“We are people with lives,” added Jessica.
Responding to a post Rhys made on social media, Pelham’s Mayor Dave Augustyn said he had spoken to the Region about the issues, and had been assured they would fix and monitor the situation. He further stated the a BTS driver had been fired for poor performance
Manoj Dilwaria, Associate Director of Transportation Systems and Planning for the Region confirmed that a driver had been let go over performance issues, and stated that though there was initially a ‘learning curve’ when they changed service providers, complaints have significantly declined since then.
“We are closely monitoring the service and if we receive complaints we take them very seriously,” he said
James Colbert, the BTS Transportation Coordinator, also claimed that complaints have seen a sharp decline since December, and that the company has been working to improve service by hiring more drivers and increasing fleet size. He says that work is paying off.
“To date, there has been about an 80% decrease in the number of calls that I receive,” he said.
For their part, the two students want only the equitable, reliable service available to conventional transit riders.
“I want the same respect as everyone else,” said Jessica.
“I would like to see better scheduling and communication between the drivers and the consumers,” added Rhys. “There has to be better communication.”
