Calgary city hall drops $20 fee for some disabled riders

City council has voted to stop charging disabled Calgariansan extra feefor travelling more than one kilometre away from a bus stop on the city's special transit service.

Councillors RichardPootmansand BrianPincottsuccessfully convinced council to immediately scrap the $20 surcharge on Monday. Pootmans estimates the decision will cost city hall an extra $100,000 a year.

"These are some of Calgary's most vulnerable and most disadvantaged people and we think that its just inappropriate that they were singled out for this tightening up," Pootmanstold CBC News.

Access Calgaryservice usually costs $3 per trip, but a surcharge of $20 kicks in each way for those living or travelling more than onekilometre away from a bus stop.

"Access Calgary can only provide service to areas where Calgary Transit routes currently go,"according to the website.

"This means Access Calgary only services areas within onekilometre of Calgary Transit fixed-route stops."

Access Calgary started charging the added fee last year, according to an advocate for the disabled.

Costly for disabled sister

Lucy Fowler says the policy costs her sister Maria, who has cerebral palsy, an extra $40return each time she wants to visit Fowler's home, which is just a little over a kilometre away from a bus stop.

As a result,her sister is visiting less often.

She said most people who use the service are on a limited income.

First and foremost, I still don't understand why the policy's been implemented, she said.

"I know of instances where an individual had to stop visiting their day program because the cost was so prohibitive. It ended up costing them $1,200 a month.

While Access Calgary arranges rides for the disabled onHandiBus and other means of transportation such as cabs, most of the cost is covered by the City of Calgary.

More than 15,000Calgariansuse the service.