Advertisement

Council axes Access Calgary restrictions

CALGARY- City council has axed a long-standing Access Calgary policy, that required users to be within one kilometer of a bus stop to get service.

The rule restricted Calgarians with disabilities, if they found themselves in an area of the city that wasn’t served by Calgary Transit. Instead of paying $3 per ride, it jumped to $20.

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

“The motivation is quite simple: fairness,” says councillor Brian Pincott, of why he voted for the reversal. “It’s making sure that everybody is treated fairly, and people have a chance to participate in the community.”

Those who use the service say they’re happy about the change.

“When this [previously] came out, I said ‘what is happening?’ Instead of going forward, we’re going backwards,” says Jerome Salvani, who is visually impaired. “We need to open it up for everyone and accommodate their needs.”
Story continues below advertisement

Council isn’t sure how many more trips Access Calgary will have to provide as a result of the reversal, but it could add up to between $200,000 and $400,000 per year.

Access Calgary provides one million rides per year.

Sponsored content

AdChoices