Metrobus passenger calls route accessibility into question

A Metrobus passenger says he witnessed a bus driver refuse a stop for a rider using a wheelchair over the weekend.

Nathan Dixon was heading from the Avalon Mall towards Elizabeth Avenue on Route 2 when a passenger using a wheelchair attempted to get off at a marked stop near the Salvation Army Thrift Store on Kenmount Road.

"When they tried to get off the bus, the bus driver said that they couldn't put down the wheelchair ramp because it wasn't a wheelchair-specific stop," said Dixon.

According to Dixon, the refusal didn'tmake sense, as the next accessiblestopis in front of the Guv'norInn and Pubon Elizabeth Avenue.

That'sabout 1.3 kilometres away.Dixon says that getting off at Elizabeth Avenue would haverequired the passenger to double back and travel down the busy Freshwater and Kenmount roads.

He believes thatthe passenger instead continued on home.

Accessible routes added in June

Since June, Metrobus routes 1, 2, and 3 have been wheelchair accessible.

Each bus on these routes features a detachable ramp and flexible seats for wheelchair-equipped riders.

According to Metrobus, the stop near the Salvation Army Thrift Store is "not considered accessible underMetrobusstandards."

But the stopcan still be usedat a rider'sown discretion and risk. In this case, officials said Metrobusought tohave made the stop.

"We regret making the mistake and the inconvenience it caused for our customer," Metrobus said in a statement to CBC News.

"We will review the circumstances of this incident with our employees and work to ensure that a similar situation does not occur in the future."