Proposed bylaw changes would make wheelchair-accessible taxis more available in Fredericton

Proposed bylaw changes could soon make it easier for people who use wheelchairs to get around Fredericton.

City hall has put forward a new requirement that every taxi company have at least one wheelchair-accessible vehicle available in their fleet during operating hours.

The new requirement could make life a little easier for Richard Steeves.

"I think it would give people a little more independence, a little more freedom that they can ... go to the movies, go to the shows, go out at night, go to a friend's house at night."

Earlier this month, Fredericton councillors gave preliminary approval to changes to the city's taxi bylaw that would usher in the new requirement.

A third and final vote is expected at next month's council meeting. If it passes, the requirement would take effect in April.

Fredericton Transit already operates an accessible bus geared toward transporting people who rely on wheelchairs or have other mobility challenges.

But using it requires passengers to book a week in advance, and the hours during which it operates are limited, Steeves said.

"Sometimes that's a pickle, because I just had here a while ago, I needed to go out for something and I couldn't get [the accessible bus on] that day."

Accessible taxi-cabs would be the answer for those who need to book last-minute trips, said Coun. Bruce Grandy, chair of the city's mobility committee.

However, none of the city's taxi companies have had accessible vehicles regularly available in their fleets previously, he said.

"If they [passengers] needed to get somewhere in a hurry … that was a challenge," Grandy said.

Checker Cab added a wheelchair-accessible taxi to its fleet earlier this year after learning the requirement by the city was on its way, said company president George Youssef.

That vehicle cost between $30,000 and $40,000, he said, and the fare for using it is the same as the rest of its vehicles.