Whereas the provincial Passenger Transportation Act does not currently specify that special authorization licensees that have passenger directed vehicles require an accessible vehicle in their fleet; And whereas the City of Williams Lake does not currently have a bylaw related to taxi service: Therefore be it resolved that the provincial government amend the Passenger Transportation Act through the Special Authorization Licensing section government by the Passenger Transportation Board in BC to include at minimum one accessible vehicle in their fleet of vehicles when operating a taxi service company.
Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure Government has committed to increasing the number of wheelchair-accessible taxis in communities throughout B.C. in B.C. on the Move, a 10-Year Transportation Plan. There are almost 300 accessible taxis providing service to B.C. Communities. All applications to the Passenger Transportation Board Board for new taxi licenses or adding vehicles to existing licenses, have required applicants serving communities with eight or more taxis to have wheelchair-accessible vehicles since 2008. The consultation on passenger transportation regulation in B.C., led by the Ministries of Transportation and Infrastructure, and Community, Sport and Cultural Development, included the topic of accessible service. One of the key themes that emerged from the consultation was the need to guarantee accessibility. Government is now working to identify a made in B.C. solution to balance the interest of all stakeholders, protect passenger safety and address the public, including persons with disabilities desire for choice, convenience and competition.