Dear Editor,
Premier David Eby is urging us all to 鈥渂uy B.C., buy Canadian鈥� and commits his government to 鈥渂uying Canadian first.鈥� So you might think that crucial public services would be at the top of that buy-Canadian list.
Yet in Metro Vancouver, one of those services 鈥� HandyDART, which serves seniors and people with disabilities 鈥� is operated by Transdev: a giant French corporation. And American corporations are already circling, as Transdev鈥檚 contract is expiring.
But that could change soon. TransLink鈥檚 board of directors was expected to vote to either operate HandyDART in-house with public sector workers 鈥� 鈥渋nsourcing鈥� 鈥� or contract out again (likely to a foreign company) at their June meeting. Now the decision has been delayed, apparently to give Eby鈥檚 government time to study the issue. The choice ought to be clear. Instead of paying senior managers and wealthy investors in other countries, every part of TransLink should be staffed and run by people working here in B.C.
For more than a decade, riders have called on TransLink to operate HandyDART directly, instead of outsourcing to the lowest bidder. People with disabilities and older seniors have suffered from years of safety problems and poor service caused by multinational corporations鈥� lack of accountability.
A major concern among both riders and workers is these foreign corporations鈥� ongoing failure to attract and retain enough workers to meet service demands. Even before Transdev took over, the contractors increasingly relied on subcontracted taxis 鈥� raising further concerns about reliability and quality.
While there鈥檚 a place for taxis in Vancouver鈥檚 transit system, rider groups have long raised concerns about HandyDART鈥檚 subcontracted taxis failing to secure wheelchairs, missing trips, and leaving behind vulnerable passengers due to lack of door-to-door assistance. According to TransLink鈥檚 2024 HandyDART review, taxis were responsible for more than twice as many missed trips as HandyDART drivers, despite providing only a quarter of the total rides.
Following widespread criticism of service quality and working conditions 鈥� including a three-week-long strike 鈥� TransLink commissioned a study to compare the cost and benefits of insourcing versus continued private contracting.
Last year, six mayors on TransLink鈥檚 Mayors鈥� Council signed an open letter urging the agency to insource HandyDART service. City councils in Burnaby, 黑马磁力 City, 黑马磁力 Township, Maple Ridge, and North Vancouver also passed resolutions endorsing the call to action. And the BC NDP committed to insourcing HandyDART service in their campaign platform during the provincial election, shortly after the strike.
Premier Eby must follow through on that promise and work with TransLink to operate TransLink as part of the public system, with all managers and their support staff working and paying taxes in Canada. More delay and reports is not what Eby committed to 鈥� he promised to get it done.
It is a travesty that TransLink has spent years sending public dollars to a series of foreign corporations, while service quality continues to decline. It is time for Premier Eby, Minister of Transportation and Transit Mike Farnworth, and the TransLink board to do the right thing and fix the problem at its source by bringing HandyDART home under public control.
Save Our HandyDART is a coalition of rider activists, disability justice advocates and labour organizations who have come together to fight for the future of HandyDART.
Beth McKeller, HandyDART rider and co-founder of the HandyDART Riders鈥� Alliance,
Leslie Gaudette, Council of Senior Citizens鈥� Organizations of BC (COSCO) president,
Sam Wiese, B.C. Federation of Retired Union Members president,
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union local 1724 president (It represents HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver)
(EDITOR'S NOTE: In late June, TransLink opted to extend the contract for 18 months while service delivery is reviewed.)
