The crisis in the taxi industry is hurting increasingly limited paratransit services and the disabled people who rely on them.
In Trois-Rivières, this service is no longer offered for users’ leisure activities. Due to a lack of taxis in sufficient numbers, the Société de transport de Trois-Rivières (STTR) announced last December that it must now prioritize “requests for travel for medical reasons, work and post-secondary studies”.
“Our taxi partners are no longer able to meet the demand, so there is more demand for our own services, and we are already facing a shortage of manpower”, explains the director of communications of the STTR , Charles-Hugo Normand. In addition, Trois-Rivières has an aging population and the demand for paratransit continues to grow, he points out.
Approximately 130,000 Quebecers are eligible for paratransit. In most cities, they have access to taxis that suit them or to minibuses managed by a transport company or a local organization.
“It’s an essential service,” says Rosanne Couture, of the Alliance of Paratransit Users Groups of Quebec (ARUTAQ). “Without that, the person remains confined to their home. »
The pandemic, she says, has had the effect of masking the deterioration of services. “For two years, people have not fully resumed their activities. […] We anticipate that paratransit will be in danger when it reopens. »
The return of the “milk run”
Prior to recent industry reform, para-taxi provided 77% of para-transit. But today, their exodus is forcing several towns to fall back on transport by minibus, or even by bus, with the “ run of milk” which accompanies it, deplores Mme Sewing. “It can represent hours and hours of travel”, the time to drive users back one after the other.
Conversely, the taxi service offered users “flexibility” and the possibility of going “directly” to their destination. For ARUTAQ, this is a major setback. “We go back 30 years. »
During the parliamentary study of François Bonnardel’s reform, the Commission des droits de la personne et de la jeunesse du Québec (CDPDJQ) warned the Minister of Transport that users of paratransit risked paying price. “The Commission is seriously wondering whether the management of the supply of accessible taxis will be sufficient to meet the needs of people with disabilities throughout Quebec. »
Fallback to more polluting vehicles
In Montreal, the boss of Taxelco, Frédéric Prégent, says he has lost 15% of his fleet of paratransit vehicles. And, according to him, paratransit is the victim of a perfect storm.
First, because the cost of large-format vehicles has skyrocketed in recent months. “Traditionally, a Dodge Caravan paratransit vehicle cost around $20,000, [plus] $15,000 for modifications. […] There were $15,000 in subsidies, so the vehicle was worth $20,000,” he explains. “But today, the Dodge Caravan no longer exists. There’s the Chrysler Grand Caravan, but it costs $15,000 more and the conversion has gone from $15,000 to $25,000. This means that the vehicle no longer costs $20,000 net, but almost $50,000. »
Added to this are the explosion in the price of fuel and the impossibility for taxi drivers to use their license as an asset in order to obtain a loan. From the outset, he says, drivers are turning away from electric vehicles because they are more expensive to buy. “We encourage the electrification of transport, but the drivers do not qualify to buy the right vehicles, so they buy (cheaper) 100% gasoline vehicles. »
Thursday, at the National Assembly, the member for Bonaventure, Sylvain Roy, asked the Ministry of Transport to account for the file.
“Most transport sectors have suffered from the pandemic,” retorted Minister Bonnardel, also mentioning that subsidies for paratransit have increased by $11.7 million this year. He also promises that the round table responsible for monitoring the law – and which includes industry players – will keep an eye on things.
The oppositions denounce the situation in the regions
The difficulties of paratransit are added to the closings of taxi services which are multiplying in the regions, as revealed The duty tuesday. On Wednesday, the newspaper learned that another service was added to this list, this time on the side of the Magdalen Islands, where two taxi companies have closed their doors and where the two remaining are struggling.
“We wanted to ‘uberize’ the transport of people, and today we have the consequences,” reacted the deputy of the Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Joël Arseneau. According to the man who is also spokesperson for the Parti Québécois on transport, the consultation table set up by Minister Bonnardel is also considered “a waste of time” by those who sit there: “The table has no no leverage with respect to the ministry, the minister does not attend. »