Report No. 2 of the Transportation Services Committee

Regional Council Meeting of October 22, 2009 8

MOBILITY PLUS TRANSFER POINTS The Transportation Services Committee recommends the adoption of the recommendation contained in the following report dated September 16, 2009, from the Commissioner of Transportation Services.

1. RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that: 1. Regional Council approve the addition of two transfer points, within the Regional

Municipality of Durham, for the purpose of transferring passengers between Durham Region Transit Specialized Services and York Region Transit Mobility Plus.

2. PURPOSE

This report seeks approval for the addition of two transfer points at 325 Toronto Street South, Uxbridge and at 1419 Durham Road, Beaverton. These two transfer points will better accommodate those passengers living in northern York Region who wish to travel to and from locations in north Durham Region.

3. BACKGROUND

Transfer points are necessary for the safe exchange of passengers between neighbouring municipalities Mobility Plus currently operates to 11 transfer locations, two with Peel TransHelp, four with TTC Wheel-Trans along the Steeles Ave border, and two with Durham Transit Specialized Services. Three accessible subway stations in Toronto, Don Mills, Finch and Downsview, are also listed as transfer points, although these are not commonly requested for this purpose. Transfer locations are chosen using a defined set of criteria. The facility: • Must be barrier free. • Must be open during Mobility Plus operating hours. • Must have a telephone and seating area for passenger use. • Must provide shelter from the weather. Mobility Plus seeks approval from the management of the facility before an arrangement is made to list the location as a transfer point.

Report No. 2 of the Transportation Services Committee

Regional Council Meeting of October 22, 2009

Mobility Plus provides approximately 300,000 trips per year to the disabled community. In 2008, approximately 3,260 transfers were made by Mobility Plus clients to neighbouring specialized services using the current locations (see Table 1 below).

Table 1 2008 Transfer Points and Usage

Transfer with Address # of one way trips

TTC Wheel-Trans 2900 Steeles Avenue East (Shops on Steeles) 1,242

TTC Wheel-Trans 4228 Midland Avenue (Tim Hortons) 402

TTC Wheel-Trans 6464 Yonge Street (Centrepoint Mall) 1,241

TTC Wheel-Trans 3310 Steeles Avenue West (Tim Hortons) 268

Peel TransHelp 101 Humber College Blvd. (Etobicoke General Hospital) 83

Peel TransHelp 80 Allan Drive, Bolton (Vera Davis Community Centre) 21

Total 3,257 Note: The transfer points with Durham at the McDonald’s at 28 Sandiford Drive in Whitchurch-Stouffville and at the Markham Stouffville Hospital at 381 Church Street in Markham were added in early 2009.

4. ANALYSIS AND OPTIONS Passengers in the northern part of the Region, wanting to travel to northern Durham, currently transfer at McDonald’s in Whitchurch-Stouffville Although requests for trips from the northern part of the Region to the northern part of Durham are few, Mobility Plus felt it was necessary to seek out suitable locations for this purpose. A passenger should not have to travel the extra kilometres to a southern transfer point just to turn around and be transported back in a northerly direction to get to their destination. Not only is this current arrangement inconvenient, it also is inefficient, since it is more costly and ties up a vehicle for a longer period of time.

Report No. 2 of the Transportation Services Committee

Regional Council Meeting of October 22, 2009

Locations were sought within the northern part of the Region but were unsuccessful The criteria needed for a northern transfer point with Durham made it impossible to find a location within York Region that was close to the border. Mobility Plus’ operating hours are until midnight six nights a week and no facilities in the north, close to the York/Durham border, remain open to accommodate those hours. Two locations within Durham were found to be suitable for a northern transfer The two locations, one at the Tim Hortons at 325 Toronto Street South in Uxbridge, and one at the Tim Hortons at 1419 Durham Road, Beaverton, (see Attachment 1) fulfill the required transfer location criteria. In addition, the two southerly transfer locations with Durham in Whitchurch-Stouffville and Markham are well within York Region’s borders and Mobility Plus felt it was only fair to Durham Region Transit Specialized Services to travel within their borders in the north. Passengers are taken to a transfer point that, first and foremost, accommodates the passenger but is also fiscally responsible Over the past few years, we have partnered with our neighbouring specialized transit systems and transferred passengers at locations that are cost-effective and most favourable to Mobility Plus. For example, if a TTC Wheel-Trans passenger from Scarborough wants to travel to a Vaughan location, transfers are made at the Tim Hortons at 3310 Steeles Avenue W instead of the Tim Hortons at 4228 Midland Avenue. The savings to the Region for a two-way trip using the closer transfer point to the final destination, as in the case above, would be $82 for a sedan and $92 for a mini-van. This cost savings is based on what it would have cost Mobility Plus to travel from the 4228 Midland Avenue transfer point to the Vaughan location. The addition of these two recommended locations will also serve this same purpose. Although there will be additional remunerated kilometres to the Mobility Plus contractor while travelling in Durham, the distance will be less than bringing the passenger to the transfer point in Stouffville. Passengers will also benefit from a reduced total travel time in the vehicle. A passenger who lives in the north can expect to be in a vehicle for over an hour if they are transferring to one of the current Durham locations in the south. The two recommended locations are within 15-20 minutes from the border.

5. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS There are no financial implications associated with this report.

Report No. 2 of the Transportation Services Committee

Regional Council Meeting of October 22, 2009

6. LOCAL MUNICIPAL IMPACT The approval of these two additional transfer locations within Durham Region provides a more equitable service to all registrants of Mobility Plus regardless of their place of residence within the Region.

7. CONCLUSION A major goal for Mobility Plus is to provide our clients (seniors and persons with disabilities) with convenient access to a variety of transportation options. These two suggested transfer locations will give passengers in the northern part of the Region a viable customer service solution to travelling into a neighbouring municipality with no additional financial or operating impact on the existing service. Dialogue between TTC Wheel-Trans and Mobility Plus is presently underway to further improve the travelling experience for the passenger. Currently, Mobility Plus travels beyond its boundaries to select locations south of Steeles, but for all other locations, a transfer is necessary. Mobility Plus and TTC Wheel-Trans are discussing the creation and implementation of a specialized transit program that allows each to provide seamless service to customers into the other’s jurisdiction if the distance is less than ten kilometres. For more information on this report, please contact Sharon Doyle, Manager, Mobility Plus at Ext. 5634, in the Transit Branch of the Transportation Services Department. The Senior Management Group has reviewed this report. (The attachment referred to in this clause is attached to this report).

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Shops on Steeles2900 Steeles Ave EToronto

Vera Davis Centre80 Allan DrBolton

William Osler Hospital101 Humber College BlvdToronto

Tim Hortons1419 Durham RdBeaverton

Tim Hortons325 Toronto St SUxbridge

Don Mills Subway StationToronto

Downsview Subway StationToronto

Finch Subway StationToronto

Markham Stouffville Hospital381 Church StMarkham

McDonalds28 Sandiford DrWhitchurch-Stouffville

Tim Hortons3310 Steeles Ave WToronto

Centrepoint Mall6464 Yonge StToronto

Tim Hortons/Wendy's4228 Midland AveToronto

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Produced by:GeomaticsPlanning and Development Services Department© Copyright, The Regional Municipality of York, Sept., 2009

© Copyright, The Regional Municipalities of Durham and Peel, County of Simcoe, City of Toronto* Includes © Queen’s Printer for Ontario 2003-2009

XY New Transfer Point

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Mobility Plus Transfer Points COUNCIL ATTACHMENT 1