VICTORIA – BC’s Seniors Advocate is asking 30,000 users of HandyDART how well the service is helping them meet their transportation needs.
HandyDART is a door-to-door service provided by TransLink, BC Transit, and their service providers for passengers with physical or cognitive disabilities who are unable to use conventional public transit without assistance.
The majority of users, approximately 73 per cent, are 65 or older. Last year 2.37 million rides were provided.
“Transportation is identified as a key issue for seniors,” said seniors advocate Isobel Mackenzie, noting that at age 65, 76 per cent of seniors have an active driver’s license, and that drops to 34 per cent for those over 85.
The survey asks a range of questions starting with what people think of the application process, the availability of rides, the cost of the service, as well as overall satisfaction levels. To ensure statistical integrity, a sample of every other client will be surveyed on Vancouver Island, the Okanagan, and the Lower Mainland, while for the other three regions that offer service, all clients will be surveyed.
Recipients of the survey can either complete a paper-based survey or fill it out online. Surveys should be completed and returned by Nov. 7. Results of the survey will help inform the Seniors Advocate’s overall review of seniors’ transportation issues.