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Ladner man in wheelchair says buses won't pick him up

Left stranded at bus stop

He’s getting tired of spending a fortune on cabs to get around because a bus won’t pick him up.

Confined to a wheelchair, longtime Ladner resident Ritchie Brennick says he’s fed up and wants to raise awareness about the lack of bus stops in the community where transit is willing to pick up the disabled.

Waiting at a bus stop on 46A Street near his Port Guichon home leaves him frustrated when a shuttle will slow down but drive by, leaving him to wheel himself through the streets or take a cab.

“Right around the corner, there’s three bus stops, and I don’t get picked up at any of them. From what I can gather, the nearest stop they’ll pick me up is two miles away. I went through a winter being stuck inside,” he said.

Saying HandyDART is problematic because the service is not always available around his schedule of appointments, Brennick said there shouldn’t be any problems for the disabled to take public transit.

He also said there shouldn’t be any problem lowering a lift at his neighbourhood stop because one community shuttle bus driver did just that when she saw him waiting.

TransLink says every bus in its fleet is accessible and can carry two wheelchairs or mobility aids. But, not all bus stops are accessible. 

TransLink notes that an eastbound stop and a westbound stop were recently completed on 45th Avenue in Ladner, and are waiting the proper signage to indicate they’re wheelchair accessible.

Delta engineering director Steven Lan said the city has been working to upgrade bus stops to accommodate wheelchair users.

“As per TransLink's guidelines, an accessible transit stop requires a raised curb and a three-metre wide surface for buses to be able to pick up passengers using a wheelchair,” Lan stated. “The city has been active in providing these upgrades in conjunction with our Neighbourhood Roads Improvement Program. We also have responded based on resident requests to install accessible stops where required.”



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