Access-A-Bus

Accessible Transportation Advisory Committee

Minutes from January - November 2005

December 2004

No Meeting Held

Beginning with the 2005 Minutes, the Minutes will be posted in a summarized form on a quarterly basis.

January 2005-April 2005

January 2005. No meeting held due to weather

February 2, 2005.

The meeting was chaired by Todd Hacquoil. 8 Committee members,
Councilor Meade and Larry Hilton, Supervisor Special Services, were in attendance.

The minutes of the previous meeting were approved with corrections. The General Budget Questions were discussed re the 2005-2006 Budget. A new Access A Bus and two drivers have been requested. New facilities are being looked at for Access A Bus once the BRT service is introduced. The possible use of different vehicles for use is being investigated .The new policy of D439 is now in place and allows for more options that D409 did. A discussion held on Accessible Taxi Service starting up. New recommendation criteria for the awarding of the Lloyd Sampson Award to a Metro Transit employee. It was suggested that AAB drivers have nametags for ID. This will be investigated. Todd Hacquoil gave a brief report on the meeting he had with Metro Transit regarding the brainstorming session the committee had. A new registration policy was suggested that wheelchair users be required to register every 5 years instead of 3. This will be investigated. A new phone system has been introduced at Metro Transit where all phone conversations are recorded. All calls, bookings and cancellations can now be monitored. The 48-cancellation window will be reduced to 24 hours effective May 1st. Violations of the policy would be reduced to 4 and on the 5th Violation the penalty phase would become effective. No Show/Late Cancellation Committee has 1 appeal outstanding. Low Floor Bus Committee there was a brief overview. A detailed report will be submitted later.

February 23, 2005

Todd Hacquoil chaired the meeting. 8 Committee members and Councilor Meade and Larry Hilton, Supervisor Special Services, were in attendance.

The minutes of the previous meeting were approved with corrections. There were no comments or further questions regarding the budget from the last meeting. It was brought to the attention of the committee that the Late Cancellation Policy would be changed from 48 hours to 24 at the AGM in May. It was noted that pickup times can vary due to late cancellations and no shows when another client is being fitted into the schedule. It was agreed by the committee that a ticket or cash fare be charged to the person who had a late cancellation or no show the next time they used the service.

Nancy Josey agreed to look at the policy of the no show and late cancellation if necessary Councilor Meade recommended that an outline of the policy and statistics for persons suspended from the system be forwarded to HRM Council as an information item. A brief discussion took place regarding acceptable excuses for late cancellations. This will be discussed further at the next ATAC Meeting. It was recommended by Gary Russell that the compliments received and the ballots received for the AGM at the AGM be counted for the criteria for the award. The Committee agreed this to. It was recommended that a new Policy be introduced for bookings when there is a holiday in line with a weekend e.g. a Friday or Monday. The AGM will be held on May 25th at the Dartmouth North Community Centre. There will be a new drop off point at the Halifax Shopping Centre (West End Mall) The new drop off point will be Winners instead of Access Nova Scotia. It was recommended that an emergency policy be established for Clients that are hospitalized for their wheelchairs or scooter be transported to the medical facility where they are hospitalized. Motion Passed. A new revised list of Drop-Off points will be revised A group discussion on (Inclusive Accessible Transportation Policy) was deferred, A copy of Metro Transit’s policy regarding quality customer service by AAB drivers was distributed to the committee .Two appeals had been dealt with by the Appeals Committee .Low Floor Bus Report was circulated to the committee. Monthly Statistics were presented to the Committee further information on the new phone system was deferred.

March 2, 2005

The meeting was chaired by Todd Hacquoil 5 committee members and Larry Hilton, Supervisor Special Services, was present.

The meeting became a general discussion, as a quorum was not present. No motions were passed on the agenda items. The new phone system was explained in great detail by Larry Hilton as to how it functioned, how calls were recorded and how they could be checked if a problem occurred Jen Powley spoke on the Accessible Transportation Advocacy. A suggestion was made that the Annual Report by the Chairperson should include mention of the 25th Anniversary of Access A Bus It was suggested that Need a Lift and any other individuals pertaining to accessible taxis be invited to the AGM. The Chairperson’s Annual Report was discussed and it was felt that it was a warm and positive report.

March 23, 2005

The meeting was chaired by Todd Hacquoil. There were 6 Committee members present, Councilor Gary Meade and Larry Hilton, Supervisor Special Services.

The minutes of the February 26th and March 2nd meeting were approved The final draft of the chairpersons ann8ual report was presented and approved by the committee .A discussion took place on the acceptable excuses allowed for late cancellations. It was suggested that be included in the User’s Guide. It was pointed out by Larry Hilton that the new User’s Guide had gone to print and that they could not be included until the next printing AGM info.

The AGM Elections officer appointment was deferred until the next meeting. Plaques from decommissioned buses honoring Mel Hebb and Marg Hiltz. The chairperson will finalize details. Larry Hilton will present an overview of Access A Bus Statistics. It was also suggested by Councilor Gary Meade that this would be a good handout to HRM Council the minutes of the May 2004 meeting will be finalized by Ann Brothers and presented to the committee to be reviewed. Need a Lift and Casino Taxi will be invited to attend the AGM. In the out going package to Access A Bus Users the booking information for buses for the meeting will be outlined. The No Show/Late Cancellation & Appeals Committee reviewed two appeals. Two letters were sent denying the use of Access A Bus, as the qualifications were not met. The Low Floor Bus Committee had no report. The minutes of the Executive Meeting were distributed. Larry Hilton presented the Transit report and statistics for the previous month. He mentioned that a new shift would be put in place and the hours spread between existing shifts it was moved by Gary Russell that ATAC members call at least 24 hours before if they were going to miss a meeting. Motion Carried. It was reported that the drop of location at Access Nova Scotia would be no longer used instead the bus would now stop at Winners
The Committee for Inclusive Transportation will have a meeting on April 5th CIT is having a public meeting with Metro Transit and HRM Finance Department to discuss transportation issues for PWS. Larry Hilton will speak on behalf of Metro Transit and Dave McClusker will be on hand to discuss HRM’s Proposed Regional Plan. The New User’s Guide has been updated and revised and will be available at the AAB AGM.

April 6, 2005

The meeting was chaired by Todd Hacquoil. 7 members were Attendance, Councilor Gary Meade and Larry Hilton, Supervisor of Special Services.

The Minutes of the previous meeting were approved as circulated. Joanne Coffey was elected as the Elections Officer for the AGM in May. The mail out for the AGM would include the Agenda, ballot for the Lloyd Samson award, The Chairperson’s Annual Report, the date for being able to book buses for the meeting and the list of people nominated for positions on the ATAC committee.

It was reported that Marg Hiltz’s family would like the plaques deposited into the Metro Transit Museum.
The disposition of Mell Hebb’s plaque had not been decided as of this date. It was noted that Dawn Eyland-Reiss had resigned and that there would be an additional 1-year committee member up for re-election a user or non-user could fill the vacancy. The person with the fifth largest number of votes would receive that position Voting at the AGM. - Our Terms of Reference state that voting at the AGM is restricted to users of AAB, members of ATAC and all individuals nominated to run for ATAC. In the past year ATAC made no changes to the Terms of Reference on this matter. However, the Chair will announce at the AGM that any nominee of AAB who is in attendance and who wishes to vote may do so. If he or she is nominated to run for the committee. The chair will make the announcement in a timely manner such that the nonusers who want to vote, will have an opportunity to arrange their nominations before nominations are closed.

User’s Guide – Instead of sending out copies of the revised User’s Guide in the AGM package, it was decided that only the changes made to the guide should be sent. For now, the revised User’s Guide will be available at the AGM and/or will be mailed to anyone who requests a copy. Larry Hilton will look after compiling the changes our Committee has made to the User’s Guide and put them in a letter that will accompany the mail out package. The new D435 securing system was not available at this time but a discussion did take place on the legislation required to approve the D435. The question was asked about ATAC members advocating on behalf of causes relegated to transportation. The Terms of Reference state ATAC is an advisory committee that lends support and assists Metro Transit. Authorization is required from Metro Transit for all ATAC activities. Activities outside of Metro Transit ‘s jurisdiction must be cleared through Lori Patterson. Lorie has offered to discuss the guidelines the Committee and individual Committee Larry cautioned members to be mindful of conflicts of interest, misrepresentations of ATAC information or revealing sensitive information from meetings when dealing with organizations outside of Metro Transit. A member who promotes issues (lobbying MLA’s or City Councilors, fir example must do so as an individual and not as a representative of ATAC.
The question of the legality of keeping the excuses for late cancellations confidential. A very heated discussion transpired. It was then moved that the list of allowable excuses passed at the March 23rd meeting be dropped. This motion was passed 6 to 1. The meeting was then adjourned

April 27, 2005

The meeting was chaired by Todd Hacquoil. 10 members were in attendance, Councilor Gary Meade and Larry Hilton, Supervisor of Special Services.

The minutes of the March 25th and April 6th meeting were approved with minor corrections. The mail out package for the AGM has been sent to members.
The resignations of Nancy Josey and Dawn Eyland-Reisse have been received and accepted.

This will now mean at the AGM in May there will be 6 elected positions available 4 for 3 years 1 for 2 years and 1 for 1 year The first four with the highest votes will receive the 4 three year terms the fifth person with nest highest votes will receive the two year position bad the 6th highest votes will receive the one year term.

The plaques for Mel Hebb and Marg Hiltz will be place in Metro Transit’s Museum.

Job Descriptions for ATAC members were circulated and will be approved and discussed at the first meeting of the new committee. The Oath of Confidentiality was discussed and it was decided that it would be re-introduced at the June meeting for all of the ATAC Committee to sign It was pointed out that all information is confidential that is discussed at a meet until it has been approved by the committee.

An invitation was received from Inclusive Transportation Showcase 2005 4th Annual Conference. No one was interested in attending the event.
The No Show/Late Cancellation/Appeals Committee reported that were 2 appeals pending and that there were no new appeals received.
The complaint received by the Low Floor Bus Committee last month has been passed to Metro Transit as it is out of our hands. The Executive Minutes were read and accepted. There was no statistical report available for this month. Complaints re the ALF Bus Service are still being tabulated and will be presented every other month.

The meeting was adjourned.

May 2005.

May 25, 2005 Annual General Meeting at Dartmouth North Community Centre There was approximately 65 people in attendance and the ATAC member’s present. along with representation from Metro Transit.

The Annual Report of the Chairperson Todd Hacquoil is as follows:

“Accessible Transportation Advisory Committee Annual Report 2005”

The Accessible Transportation Advisory Committee (ATAC) is an independent body providing feedback to Metro Transit on the accessible transit services it operates within
The Halifax Regional Municipality. ATAC provides expert advice and recommends policy changes while monitoring the daily operation of accessible transportation. ATAC exists to improve accessible transportation as provided by Metro Transit, with the ultimate aim of promoting a more inclusive society. We work to ensure that disabled persons and their interface with transportation services are as seamless as possible.

During the 2004 ATAC Year, Nancy Josey was voted as Chair (later replaced by Todd Hacquoil ), together with eleven members, elected to bring a wide variety of expertise on a broad range of issues and a critical overview of policies and procedures that govern Metro Transit as it relates to accessible transportation.

Early in the year ATAC held a brain storming session to develop a list of goals to achieve for the year. Some of these goals were new ideas, many were long term concerns that the committee has been working on for many years.

A meeting between ATAC’s chairperson, Brian Taylor, Director Transit Services, Moss Mombourguette , Director Transit Operations, led to some of these ideas being given the green light to work on. The ATAC has worked closely with Metro Transit and has made changes to several policies.

I would like to extend thanks to Nancy Josey who held the position of chairperson for the start of the ATAC year, and had to give it up due to health concerns. A special thanks is extended to Gary Russell who served as Vice-Chairperson this year and to our co-secretaries Joeanne Coffee and Lynn DeMont, for their fine work.

None of ATAC’s work would be possible without the dedication of the Members of ATAC. The committee represented the needs of all Access-A-Bus users and persons with disabilities using all available modes of accessible transportation.

The invaluable support from colleagues in Metro Transit is greatly appreciated. A close working relationship with Brian Taylor, Director Transit Services, Moss Mombourquette, Director Transit Operations, Anne Brothers, Administrative Support and Larry Hilton,
Supervisor Special Services and immediate liaison to ATAC, has made this year a most productive one. It has been our privilege to work with each and every one of you..

Highlights of the changes that have taken place this year:

A. A New Telephone Recording System is in place. This will record all calls received and made by Access-A-Bus (scheduling and dispatch). This will help ensure that the Access-A-Bus client receives quality service. Calls will only be checked on request. (When a user complains about a phone call or at the request of scheduling/dispatch).

B. Re-Registration Instead of re-registering every3 (three) years, wheelchair users will only be required to re-register every five (5) years. However ambulatory clients will still need to re-register every three (3) years. Re-registration every three (3) years is not intended to be intrusive, but is necessary to determine if clients require additional services.

C. 48 Hour Cancellation Policy has been reduced to 24 hours. To the users of Access-A-Bus, this means that you will no longer be penalized when you cancel your trip shortly after you receive your trip times. However it is highly encouraged that the user cancels their trip as soon as it is determined they no longer need Access-A-Bus.

D. Late Cancellation/No Show Policy will be changed, effective May 1, 2005. The number of late cancellations/no shows a user is allowed each month has been modified, A client will be allowed a combination of four (4) late cancellations and/or no shows in a calendar month.

The fifth (5th) cancellation and/or no show put the client in violation of the Late Cancellation / No Show Policy. This change has been made to allow for the reduction of the 48 Hour Cancellation window, and hopefully to reduce the number of cancellations that occur each month.
As soon as an Access-A-Bus client realizes they no longer need a trip, they should cancel. This allows a greater possibility that someone who is on the wait list might get a trip.

E. Appeal Process When a client is in violation of the No Show /Cancellation Policy, he/she will receive a warning letter. If the client is in violation of the No-Show/ Cancellation Policy again within eight months they will receive a suspension notification letter. This letter MUST be returned to Metro Transit by the date specified and will indicate whether the user wishes to appeal.

F. Holiday Booking Window When a holiday falls on a Friday or Monday, an extra booking day will be added to the day before the holiday. This is being done to help alleviate the wait time to get through to scheduling.

G. Lloyd Sampson Achievement Award In the past years the recipient of this award was determined solely by votes received prior to the AGM. This has been changed. Now, along with the votes from the Access-A-Bus users, compliments related to specific drivers going above and beyond the call of duty called into the Halifax Regional Municipality Call Centre, will count as a vote.

H. Accessible Low Floor Bus Service (ALF) A free trial will be offered during the month of July. Use of the ALF bus routes will not affect your status on Access-A-Bus. It is an alternative to Access-A-Bus that many users have found to meet their transportation need.

I. Starting in late summer of 2005, two (2) new ALF routes will be introduced.
The route 72, will travel between Portland Hills Terminal through Woodlawn, MicMac Terminal, Highfield Park to Metro Transit and vice versa.
The route 87 will be converted to an ALF route. The 87 travels from Lower Sackville (Downsview Terminal) through Bedford Magazine Hill, Victoria Road and to the MacDonald Bridge Terminal. During rush hour it will travel to Halifax via the MacDonald Bridge.
Metro Transit will also be introducing Bus Rapid Transit. These routes will be wheelchair accessible. Please watch for information announcing the introduction of this new service.

ATAC hopes these changes will improve service for all Access-A-Bus clients. For further details on the changes, please read the new Access-A-Bus Users Guide.

Access-A-Bus officially started service in 1981, this will make 2006 Access-A-Bus’s 25th anniversary. ATAC is hoping to promote accessible transportation during this anniversary year. Please watch for special activities in 2006.

We look forward to the 2005 Committee to continue with the momentum built up over the past year.

Respectfully submitted

Todd Hacquoil
Chairperson, Accessible Transportation Committee

An election of new members to the committee took place. The following were elected or re-elected to the committee; Tanya Carroll, Lynn DeMont, Bill Moffat, Don Mullins, and Gary Russell . A brief question period took place and members were asked to submit their questions to the committee if there were questions not answered. The Lloyd Sampson award was presented by members of Lloyd Sampson’s family to Gary Manual and Antonio Feijoo Refreshments were served and door prizes awarded

June 2005 to August 2005

June 29, 2005. The meeting was chaired by Gary Russell 11 members were in attendance and Larry Hilton, Supervisor Special Services, Special guests Lori Patterson, Manager Public Relations and Moss Mombourquette, Manager Metro Transit Operations.

Lori Patterson discussed the role of Metro Transit’s Public Relations Department. The Chair of ATAC is the official spokesperson for ATAC when asked to speak with the media. However, any contact with the media must first be cleared with the Public Relations Department. Lori Patterson is the Official Public Relations Representative
For Metro Transit.

The minutes of the April 27th meeting were approved with corrections.. The attendance of an Access A Bus driver is still being considered but nothing has been finalized. This item will be deferred until the next meeting when more information is available.
The Oath of Confidentiality was explained to the Committee by Moss Mombourquette.

The Oath was distributed to all present ATAC members and was signed and returned to the Chairperson. Lori Patterson reminded all present the importance of keeping information discussed at the meeting confidential.

The election of new ATAC Officers followed; Gary Russell was the only person nominated for the Chair and was acclaimed Chairperson. Catherine Macintosh, Lynn DeMont and Murray Holman were nominated for Vice-Chairperson Lynn DeMont was elected .Joeanne Coffey volunteered to be Secretary for one more year.. Robert Von Schroeder, Murray Holman and Tanya Carroll were nominated as Member at Large. Murray Holman was elected.

The following ATAC members volunteered for the following committees;
Public Relations Jen Powley, Gwen Maclachan. Catherine MacIntosh, and Margo Sims..

No Show/Late Cancellation/Appeals Committee Catherine Macintosh, Tanya Carroll, Gary Russell, Murray Holman & Lynn DeMont.Low Floor Sub Committee Joeanne Coffey, Gwen Maclachan,, Murray Holman, Joeanne Coffey and Robert Von Schrader. .Members were asked to think if any other committees were needed and bring the suggestions to the next meeting.

It was decided that the meeting date would remain the 4th Wednesday of the month and Executive meetings would be the second Wednesday if required. Monthly meetings would be at Duke Street Tower, Third Floor Finance Department Board Room. Executive meetings would be in the Board Room at Metro Transit.

The discussion on the revision of the Terms of Reference was deferred until later.

The job descriptions are finalized and will be given to all members at the next meeting to be signed. The Oath of Confidentially was signed by each executive member and each committee member as per their job description.
The No Show Cancellation/Appeals Committee informed the members that there were 3 appeals, 3 suspensions, 1 user removed from the service and 9 warning letters sent.

There was no report from the Low Floor Committee
The executive meeting minutes were read to the committee
The Metro Transit presentation was presented to the committee
Moss Mombourquette congratulated the new committee and wished them well.
The meeting was adjourned.

July 27, 2005.

The meeting was chaired by Gary Russell 7 members, Councilor Gary Meade and Larry Hilton were in attendance.

The minutes of the June29th meeting were approved with corrections,
A brief discussion on the 25th Anniversary of Access-A-Bus took place and it was agreed that the Anniversary Committee will be part of the PR Committee at present, the current Chairperson of the PR Committee may be resigning next month due to work commitments.
Employment Access 2005 is cancelled for this year.
The Committee member’s addresses and emails have been updated. Copies will be sent to each member when completed.

The air-conditioning of some of the buses both older ones and new at times does not seem to be functioning properly. Larry Hilton will look into this and report back to the committee.

The Terms of Reference for ATAC will require some revision. Gary Russell and Lynn DeMont will. look into this.

Classification of clients as wheelchair user – It was reported that some long term care facilities request wheelchair spaces for outings with AAB and then change these requests to seats (this implies a resident may use a wheelchair but implies he/she on and off the bus.)

Long-term care facilities will be contacted and the policy explained to them
The winners of this year’s Lloyd Sampson Award have not received their certificates yet. This will be looked into.

Using a walker on AAB ramp Discussion took place on the safety of using a walker on the ramp as opposed to using the stairs to get on an AAB.. This policy will be reviewed and discussed with the operators.

Administrative Order #1 – ATAC is a sub-committee of Metro Transit and not a sub-committee of HRM. Guidelines and principles that direct council meetings are not directly applicable to ATAC. If ATAC wishes to use any of the guidelines it may do so but is not obligated to do so.

Attendance at Meetings – ATAC Terms of Reference state that after a member misses 3 consecutive meetings he/she should resign. The Committee felt Margo Hebb should decide after the monthly meeting in August id she wants to continue with ATAC.

It was moved that the JOB Descriptions as circulated with the changes be adopted after the grammar corrections , copies will be given to members.
Representation of Operators on ATAC. This issue involves further discussions with management of Metro Transit and the operator’s bargaining unit Clarification is required why operators want to attend an ATAC Meeting. The Chair will follow this up with management.

A letter from DIAL in memory of Marg Hiltz was received congratulating AAB on the upcoming 25th Anniversary.

A letter of resignation was received from Jen Powley. With Margo’s resignation and Jen Powley’s resignation , this will leave a 1-year and a 2-year position on the committee. AGM nominees Peggy Brown and Ken Sawler are next in line to receive these positions. This item is deferred to the next ATAC Committee Meeting.

There was no report from the No Show / Late Cancellation Committee
Accessible Low Floor Bus Committee reported that they have not been receiving complaints regarding the Low Floor Buses. Larry Hilton will look into this. Transit drivers are being given a more through session learning how to tie down wheelchairs.

Transit Services Report The statistics on AAB from January to June were circulated. The policy regarding renewal of applications for wheelchair users and other disabilities e.g. Blindness is being looked into. If these changes approved it would mean that people with certain unchangeable disabilities will be required to re-register every 5 years instead of every 3. It was also suggested Metro Transit disseminate information to help physicians understand the implications of completing an application so an individual can use AAB.

The meeting was adjourned.

August 2005. No Meeting was held in August

September 2005 to November 2005

September 2005. The meeting was chaired by Gary Russell 8 members were in attendance, Councilor Gary Meade and Larry Hilton., Supervisor Special Services The minutes of the July 27th meeting were approved.

Lloyd Sampson Award Certificates have been forwarded to the winners.
With Margo’s and Jen’s resignation from the committee Peggy Brown has been asked to fill the one year vacancy on the committee and the two year position will not be filled till the May election..
Operator representation at ATAC meetings an operator will be permitted from time to time to attended ATAC meetings to observe what happens at our meetings. When confidential matters are discussed, the operator will be asked to leave the meeting. Operators , when directed by the chair, will be permitted to comment during meetings.

The Chairperson will ask Lynn DeMont if she will Chair the PR Sub-Committee.
A Policy has been formed on the use on of walkers on an AAB ramp. If clients with walkers are able to walk up stairs, the stairs should be used. However operator discretion is permitted. Larry will provide ATAC with a copy of this policy once it is finalized.

The air conditioning problem on the Ahab’s has been solved.
The Link Service is up and running and doing very well (lots of free parking, service is available every 20 minutes). The only problem with the service appears to be accommodating the huge number of people who want to use the service. A similar service will be available in Lower Sackville next year.
There were no suggestions brought forward for new sub-committees to be formed.

The date will be December 7th for the Christmas Party.

Location to be finalized by next meeting.

It was suggested that Access-A-Bus locations through the city be painted blue if the property belonged to the city. This will be looked into by Larry Hilton.
The Access-A-Bus website is presently being update and should have all information in a condensed version in place by the end of the year. After this major up date information will be placed on the site on a quarterly basis. In addition the Chairperson’s Annual Report will be placed on the website.
The revamping of qualifications for users policy for AAB users is in the process of being modified to accommodate all permanent unchanging disabilities. This policy will be implemented as changes are made. To date there has been no movement to change criteria on who qualifies to use AAB. Te eligibility requirements will also be revised at a future date.
A sympathy card was sent to Lyn DeMont. And her family has been sent.
There was no report from the No Show / Late Cancellation Committee
Low Floor Bus Committee No complaints were received by this committee from Transit Some complaints on the Low Floor Buses are going to the 4000 number. A discussion took place on why there’s no low floor bus route’s to Bayer’s Lake Industrial Park

No executive meeting was held this month.

Transit Services Statistical Reports were reviewed Councilor Gary Meade suggested Metro Transit apply to Council for pre-approved funding to purchase 2 vans and a new Access-A-Bus Applying early for the funds, will get these vehicles into use much more Quickly. An extra AAB shift is being added to the regular system as soon as operators can be hired and trained.
The meeting was adjourned.

October 2005. The Chair Gary Russell called the meeting to order. 11 members were in attendance, Councilor Gary Meade and Larry Hilton, Supervisor Special Services.. Peggy Brown was welcomed as a member to the ATAC.
The minutes of September 28th were approved as corrected.

Lynn DeMont has agreed to Chair the PR Committee.. Members of the committee will include Gwen MacLachlan, Catherine Macintosh, Donnie Mullins and Gary Russell.

The policy of the use of walkers on the Access-A-Bus ramp is still being revised. When completed it will be given to each ATAC member
Peggy Brown has accepted the 1-year vacancy on the committee.
Councilor Meade will follow up with HRM’s Engineering and Traffic Department about having the pavement painted in front of all official AAB parking signs painted blue.

This years Christmas party will be held at the Steak and Stein Family Restaurant at 6061 Young Street, on Wednesday December 7th from 7 to 9 PM (note: the AAB for transportation should be booked Thursday, November 24th. Each ATAC member is permitted to bring 1 guest. Please advise the Chair Gary Russell. If you will be attending and if you are bringing a guest.

The ATAC information on the website will hopefully be finalized soon.
On Oct.18th several ATAC members and Larry Hilton attended the CIT Meeting Few CIT members attended. Nevertheless a constructive question and answer session took place along with Larry’s presentation and AAB statistics. Misinformation was clarified, CIT suggested Metro Transit produce a newsletter on a regular basis that could be mailed to AAB users. Larry offered to bring an updated AAB User Guide to the next ATAC meeting.

A presentation was made in October during OT week at the Rehab. A presentation was also given by Larry Hilton on the new accessible low floor buses. Larry Hilton, Todd Hacquoil and Gary Russell also answered questions from the members during the meeting.

Councilor Meade explained to the ATAC that Access Nova Scotia would no longer be a drop off point for AAB users that the new drop off point would be Winners at the West End Mall. When the Access NS’s lease is up in December, work on the entrance at Winners into the Mall will be started.

AAB Newsletter on Website – The cost of mailing out a newsletter to all AAB users is prohibitive. A suggestion was made to develop a web site for AAB users could access to find out changes, improvements, and up-coming events related to AAB. Larry will check with Metro Transit’s IT Department about the feasibility of developing this site.

It was reported by the No Show / Late Cancellation Committee that one warning letter had been sent out.

Low Floor Bus Committee was still not receiving complaints regarding the Low Floor Buses.

There was no report from the executive committee.
A verbal report was given by Larry Hilton on the success of the Metro Link Service and that construction was well under way for the Terminal in Lower Sackville, which will begin in February 2006.

The new shift for AAB is ready to be implemented, but a recent resignation of an operator that reduces the number of drivers from 29 to 26, has put the shift on hold. Right now a new operator is being trained (training takes 7 weeks). The spare bus, the 900 will be used to accommodate extra requests during the holiday season.

Lyn asked the ATAC members to spread the word to others to search for newspaper clippings, paraphernalia and other AAB mementos that can be used for AAB’s 25th anniversary celebration.

It was drawn to the attention of Metro Transit that some of the old refurbished Access-A-Buses that have been written off are being used by Satellite Taxi as busses with the AAB logo still on them. The AAB signage is confusing for people in the community. Maintenance will remove and/or cover up all the AAB signage on the refurbished Access-A-Buses.

It was pointed out to the Committee that the next CNIB Meeting was cancelled in case anyone was planning to attend.
The meeting was adjourned.

November 2005. The meeting was chaired by Gary Russell, 10 Committee members were present Councilor Gary Meade and Larry Hilton, Supervisor Special Services. were in attendance

The minutes of the Oct.26 meeting were approved with additions
A request was received from the Mayor’s Office to nominate a volunteer from ATAC for a recognition award. It was a unanimous decision that Todd Hacquoil be nominated.

The Christmas Party was finalized for Wednesday, December 7th at the Steak and Stein.

The information except for the November meeting is ready to be placed on the website.

As the sixth month term was up for the MAL Robert Von Schroeder and Peggy Brown were nominated for the position. Murray was also re-nominated but declined. The new MAL is Robert VonSchroder.

Clarification has been requested as to who may cancel a trip.. (can someone other than the person who requests a trip cancel the booking) Larry will check and report back to the committee.

At present there is still no new information on the D439 tie down system or when it will be introduced. The URB will be contacted to find out what is happening with the item . If necessary people from the URB may be invited to an ATAC meeting to give an update on this item.

Since the Feedback Sub-committee was dissolved, complaints and compliments on the AAB service are no longer directed to ATAC. Larry has devised a method of categorizing and keeping track of this data to ATAC and this information will be included with the usual transit statistical report starting in January 2006.

HRM 25 Year Regional Plan Transit is an essential part of the success of HRM’s Regional Plan for the next 25 years. A plan for a ferry traveling from Bedford to downtown Halifax is a possible option for commuters. Metro Link and ALF Buses are an important improvement in transportation choices for persons with disabilities.

Brian Taylor, now with Regional Planning, is involved with HRM’s Regional Plan and will contribute expert advice on issues related to transit and AAB.. It is hoped that whenever transit expands into new areas, AAB service will be offered. However as HRM expands, it’s presently unknown exactly how the AAB service will evolve.

The first meeting of the PR Committee will be December 2 at 1 pm at Metro Transit.

Policy number 04269 is being issued to all operators of ALF and AAB buses. This policy states that when clients with walkers ask to use the ramp on the AAB or ALF bus, this will be accommodated.

Councilor Meade reported that the Engineering and Traffic Department will not be painting the pavement blue in front of AAB stops. They suggested ticketing of cars and placement of extra signs in these areas could more effectively deter offenders from taking AAB parking spots..

The updated User’s Guide was passed out to members.
A get well card was sent to J. Comeau one of the AAB operators.
A new presentation on ALF and AAB statistics was presented by Larry Hilton. This same presentation was presented in the fall during National OT Week at the Rehab..

The informative presentation contains up-to-date information and advice on which motorized wheelchairs are best suited for the ALF bus tie down system.
No Show / Late Cancellation Sub-Committee At present there is only one on going appeal outstanding.

There was no report tabled by this committee Complaints regarding ALF service may be included in the revised statistical reports presented to ATAC. Recommendations to Metro Transit on the new ALF bus routes should be submitted to Larry Hilton before Christmas.

The resignation of Tanya Carroll from the ATAC has been received and has been accepted by the Chairperson. Unfortunately due to ill health she is unable to continue in her position. The committee has agreed that her position will not be filled until the 2006 AGM in May and will mean a second two-year position is available.
The meeting was adjourned..

December 2005 No Meeting was held in December.

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