August 06, 2008 - 02:35

By Reka Szekely

DURHAM -- Despite an order from Ontario's Human Rights Tribunal and instructions from Durham Region Transit (DRT), bus riders are reporting drivers are not regularly calling out stops.

After a complaint was made by a Toronto man about the Toronto Transit Commission, the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal ruled the TTC's failure to call out all stops violated the human rights of persons with disabilities. The tribunal ordered all transit operators to call out the stops in order help people with visual impairments.

As of Jan. 2, all DRT drivers have been told to call out stops, said deputy manager Phil Meagher. He said both DRT and the Canadian Auto Workers union, which represents the bus drivers, are reinforcing that the stops should be called. This includes regular announcements over bus radios about the issue.

"We've even prepared stop announcement books for all of our operators so when they're doing the route, there's uniformity, they're calling the same stops," said Mr. Meagher.

The books went out at the end of July, after DRT surveyed and listed 2,661 bus stops, each of which should be called on every route.

But it's not happening in Durham, reports Cyndie Sproul, an Oshawa resident who is legally blind.

Ms. Sproul said drivers are aware of her disability since she shows her card from the CNIB, formerly known as the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, to get on the bus for free and uses a guide dog. She said she's aware of only one bus driver who regularly calls out the stops and she was doing it before the ruling from the human rights tribunal.

"In fact when I ask them to tell me when my stop is, more often than not they forget," said Ms. Sproul. That leaves her relying on fellow passengers to tell her when her stop is coming up.

"It's a little demeaning. I certainly appreciate the passengers' assistance and it certainly isn't their job and that's relying on another passenger to be there."

Scott Pigden, chairman of the Oshawa Accessibility Advisory Committee, said it doesn't matter who is on the bus, the stops should always be called.

"It doesn't take much for the bus driver to pick up the microphone when they come to the stop. It helps everybody, it doesn't just help the visually impaired, it helps everybody," said Mr. Pigden, adding people who are unfamiliar with the area are helped as well.

Mr. Meagher said he's received some complaints about the issue and encourages riders to call and complain to DRT if stops aren't being called by visiting www.durhamregiontransit.com or calling customer service toll free at 1-866-247-0055.

"The problem I have is I have to deal with the group as a whole, (when) someone calls me with a complaint about a specific route, at a specific time on a specific bus, I can deal with that individual," he said, also adding that DRT is working on getting an automated system that announces the stops.

While Mr. Pigden worries that some people may feel too intimidated to call and complain, Ms. Sproul said she's complained in the past and she's willing to give it another shot.

"It's just not being done yet, it's just plain and simple. It's certainly a safety and independence issue, which makes it a human rights issue as far as I'm concerned."

Mr. Pigden agrees.

"The disabled community, they do not want to be treated differently, they want to be treated equally."

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