DATS to offer discount for Edmonton seniors with disabilities starting in February

As of Feb. 1, 2017, eligible seniors will receive a discount on transit tickets as well as monthly and annual passes for DATS (Disabled Adult Transit Service) in Edmonton.

Edmonton Transit says this will give seniors more flexibility when it comes to travel options with affordable fares.

“There will be a lower cost for those senior customers paying for their DATS trips,” Acting Director Paul Schmold said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "There will be a lower cost for those senior customers paying for their DATS trips," Acting Director Paul Schmold said.

Currently, seniors who take DATS pay the same as everyone else, but starting Feb. 1, they’ll receive a senior’s discount.

The regular DATS monthly pass will be $94.25 while the seniors DATS monthly pass will be just $15. An annual pass for seniors will be $132.50.

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“This is in line with some broader industry trends just in terms of removing barriers overall,” Schmold said.

Cash fares, DATS adult tickets and DATS adult monthly passes are of course still accepted as well.

“In September 2017, all ETS fare products will be accepted on DATS,” Schmold said.

DATS provides specialized pre-booked transit for eligible, registered passengers who have a physical or cognitive disability and are unable to take conventional public transit for all or some trips.

Advocates applaud the move but there are calls to increase DATS resources to accommodate the potential of more people using the system.

“Let’s not cause any sort of displacement for those that need it,” Zachary Weeks, who sits on the Accessibility Advisory Committee, said. “When you’re adding further distance with inclement weather, then you see more people maybe needing door-to-door service.

“If we ensure that there’s sufficient busses available, obviously the wait times go down and it’s a better experience for everyone,” Weeks said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "If we ensure that there's sufficient busses available, obviously the wait times go down and it's a better experience for everyone," Weeks said.

In 2016, DATS provided a record-breaking total of 951,658 trips. There are currently 97 DATS vehicles in operation.

Edmonton Transit doesn’t anticipate “a significant change” to the number of DATS clients because of this decision.

“We don’t really know at this point in time the order of magnitude of that change, but we are aware there may be some increase,” Sarah Feldman, with the city’s Transportation Strategies, said.  “We’re trying to get a better understanding of that and have that inform the completion of the transit strategy.”

For more information on DATS and for details on booking transit, click here.