Rejected Sudbury Handi-Transit users get to appeal their cases

Sudbury city councillors will soon be asked to decide whether or not someone should be allowed to ride Handi-Transit.

This is part of a new system set up to assess the disability of those wanting to use the taxpayer-funded service.

In the past, someone wanting to book a ride on Handi-Transit just needed a doctor's note.

But now, they need to go through an ability assessment that is focused on whether someone is physically able to get on a regular city bus.

Some 3,000 people have gone through it so far, and about 12 are appealing the decision of the transit department.

Those appeals will soon go before a committee of Sudbury city councillors. Called the Hearing Committee, the group normally deals with cases of vicious dogs and condemned buildings.

City councillor Robert Kirwan worries that many of the appeals will be by someone with mental limitations.

"I'm not sure what kind of qualifications I have to assess someone's cognitive ability to ride the transit system, he said.

City transit director Roger Sauve said Handi-Transit has always been meant primarily for those with physical disabilities.

He said someone with cognitive disabilities should be able to ride a regular bus, as long as they have someone looking after them.

"And I think maybe the gap might be that there's an attendant care issue and certainly not a transportation issue, he said.

"The goal is to provide transportation to everyone. It's just to make sure that people are on the most appropriate system for them, based on their needs."

City council has asked for a staff report reviewing the entire Handi-Transit system. That report is expected early in the new year.