There are many questions about HandyDART service after Global News reported about a Surrey man who was denied the service after 28 years.
Tom Cretain has been isolated inside his home since HandyDART stopped giving him a ride.
“It’s shut my life down,” he said.
“I haven’t been out for two months, except in the neighbourhood.”
Cretain is living with spinal muscular atrophy and requires a special wheelchair.
Both TransLink and HandyDART operator Transdev say they cannot safely accommodate Cretain anymore because of the size of his mobility device.
Mark Beeching, a retired HandyDART trainer and driver, had assessed Cretain’s case in 2010.
“When we did a previous assessment, we found it did fit,” he told Global News.
TransLink says a recent detailed assessment found it can no longer safely accommodate Cretain.
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“The manufacturer’s specs for HandyDART vehicle lifts state that a mobility device can’t exceed 48 inches by 37 inches, and the combined weight of the customer and device also can’t exceed 800 pounds, so these are not arbitrary limits,” Anita Bathe, a TransLink spokesperson, said.
Beeching said the measurements need to be done from wheel to wheel.
“They’ve managed to transport me for 30 years safely,” Cretain said.
“It’s never been an accident, never an accident.”
Critics are blaming the government, but B.C.’s Transportation Minister says he has now directed staff to fix the problem.
“I am like most people — like most people, frustrated when I see the story going, you know, what’s going on here?” Mike Farnworth said.
Cretain just wants to get back on the road.
“If I don’t fix this, I don’t have much of a life left,” he said.
I’m glad it’s being looked into especially since it didn’t seem to be a problem before. Kinda confusing.
It’s about time some government official tell these agencies to do their jobs rather than just blow people off..
If the company Trans Link contracted out to, Trans Dev, cannot fulfill the duties, they need to loose the contract.
Eby will give him free drugs and offer MAID.
Why is this a headline? This is just one person. It sounds to me like Handy Dart was already breaking the rules in the first place and has been transporting this guy essentially without any kind of insurance coverage for decades. Has anyone thought about that?!
Translink already loses millions of taxpayers dollars per year and we wonder why.
Looking at the entirety of his situation and device I am wondering what the total amount of taxpayers dollars has been spent on this over 40 years. Has to be in the multiple of millions.
Think about it. Custom mobility device, obviously full time home care, lifts and cranes, medicine, treatments, custom transportation vehicle, what is almost likely a full time driver.
this must be very frustrating but in same breath does this man think medical system should take to visit family n shopping what wrong with his family helping
WRONG AGAIN , WE MUST NOT FIND AWAY !!! NOT OUR PROBLEM
Meanwhile my 90 year dad isn’t bad enough to get Handy Dart but too broken to be allowed to drive. That’s fair eh?
Why does this now sound like a $50,000k a day kind of thing now.