The first review of the AODA’s Transportation Standards became public in 2018. In this review, the AODA Transportation Standards Development Committee recommends changes to the existing Transportation Standards. In addition, the Committee also recommends action from other sectors of the province, to remove accessibility barriers that impact transportation. This article will discuss the Committee’s recommended AODA training for taxicab drivers.
AODA training for Taxicab Drivers
The current Transportation Standards require AODA training for drivers and other transit workers or volunteers. In contrast, the Standards do not require taxicab drivers to have any AODA training. The Committee reports that taxicab drivers need to know about their duties to accommodate passengers with disabilities, under the AODA. Moreover, drivers need to know more about meeting the needs of passengers with specific disabilities, including passengers with service animals.
While some cities require AODA training before they grant or renew taxicab licences, others do not. Moreover, in cities with AODA training for taxicab drivers, drivers for rideshare services do not need such training. In short, training requirements for drivers throughout the province, and between the taxicab and rideshare industries, are inconsistent.
Therefore, the Committee recommends that the Transportation Standards should require AODA training for taxicab drivers when they receive or renew their licences.
Topics of AODA training for Taxicab Drivers
This training would include many topics that are part of AODA customer service training, such as:
- How to communicate with customers who have various disabilities
- How to interact with customers who have:
- Service animals
- Support persons
- Assistive devices
- How to use any devices or equipment the provider may have to help customers access goods or services
- How to assist a customer having difficulty accessing goods or services
In addition, drivers would learn about the:
- Ontario Human Rights Code
- Transportation Standards
For example, drivers would learn that the Standards prohibit them from charging fees for storing passengers’ assistive devices. Moreover, drivers would learn that they cannot charge a passenger with a disability more than they would charge a non-disabled passenger for the same trip.
Furthermore, the Standards should require additional training for drivers of accessible taxicabs. This training would be comparable to training for workers on conventional transit and specialized transit, who learn how to:
- Use accessibility equipment and features safely
- Change procedures if equipment is not working or if they encounter barriers
- Keep passengers with disabilities safe during emergencies
Both types of training could be offered through local colleges or other programs that cities approve. Third-party training providers could ensure consistency, and also open training to rideshare drivers as well as taxicab drivers. The Committee recommends that the Ontario government should create a way to better standardize the rideshare industry, so that all these training requirements can apply to rideshare drivers.