Door-to-Door Policy

Clear guidelines on what to expect when being escorted to and from the vehicle during Wheel-Trans pick-ups and drop-offs

Policy Statement

The Door-to-Door Policy defines the rules and guidelines surrounding the provision of Wheel-Trans services for both door-to-door trips and trips to Family of Services landmarks (i.e. lay-by area in close proximity to a conventional bus stop).
The primary goal of this policy is to ensure that while being escorted to and from the vehicle during Wheel-Trans pick-ups and drop-offs, both customers and operators have a clear understanding of what to expect.

Scope

The policy applies to all registered customers of Wheel-Trans.

Responsibility

TTC Wheel-Trans staff, including contracted service providers is responsible for following this policy. TTC Wheel-Trans Supervisors and Managers are responsible for ensuring this policy is followed correctly.

Legislative Requirements

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (2005);

Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation, Ont. Reg. 191/11; and

Ontario Human Rights Code.

Definitions

Origin is defined as the first Wheel-Trans pick-up location, i.e. the address where the trip originates or begins.

Destination is defined as the Wheel-Trans drop-off location, i.e. the address where the trip ends.

Origin to destination service is defined as a service where customers are taken from their origin to destination locations. Origin to destination services may include services on any accessible TTC conventional transit services.

Door-to-door is defined as origin to destination service from the door at the customer’s origin address to the door at the customer’s destination address.

Door/designated door is defined as the common public entrance at a building, residence, or area, that provides shelter from the elements, which may include going through a maximum of two doorways into the common public entrance of public facilities, i.e. the weather doors and then entry doors to a medical building or a lobby of a residential building.

Common public entrance is defined as the appointed waiting area in a public facility. Examples of a common public entrance include a lobby, lounge, entry way, atrium, reception desk, information desk, etc.

Accessible TTC conventional services are accessible TTC buses, community buses, streetcars and subways. These services do not include TTC Wheel-Trans.

Family of Services trip is defined as a multi-modal trip using both Wheel-Trans and the accessible TTC conventional services including: bus, subway, streetcar, or community bus services.

Lay-by is defined as an area on the side of the road where a vehicle can pull over to the side to allow customers to board and exit the vehicle.

Policy

TTC provides origin to destination services that include:
1. door-to-door services provided by Wheel-Trans vehicles;
2. accessible TTC conventional transit provided by bus, subway, streetcar or community buses;
3. via Family of Services, a combination of both Wheel-Trans and conventional transit services.
There are three main types of doors:
1. A door to a home or personal residence;
2. A door to an apartment building, i.e. the first door that provides entry into the apartment/condominium, not the door to a customer’s actual living residence;
3. A door to a public facility, including medical centres, restaurants, hospitals or stores identified through a designated landmark, or designated door indicating the first accessible door, that provides shelter from the elements and access to the building.
  For example, a Wheel-Trans door-to-door trip to:
  a hospital: would require the Wheel-Trans operator to bring the customer through a maximum of two double doors, to enter the building, but will not bring the customer to the door of their specific appointment, i.e. the dialysis unit.
  a recreation centre: would require the Wheel-Trans operator to bring the customer through a maximum of two double doors, into the general area of the facility, but will not bring the customer to the door of their specific activity, i.e. adult day program.
When origin to destination services are provided solely through a door-to-door Wheel-Trans trip, the operator will escort the customer from the door of their origin address to the first set of accessible doors that provides entry way into a shelter including a house, building or facility at the destination address.
When escorting a customer from the door to the vehicle or from the vehicle to the door, the operators will offer light assistance by steering a customer in a manual wheel-chair, by offering an assistive elbow to customers with visual impairments, or by simply accompanying the customer by walking beside them.
The operator is not required to do any of the following: carry the customer’s personal carry-on items, carry any mobility devices (with the exception of loading and unloading), to physically lift the customer in any way or do anything that would otherwise be in violation of the operator’s training.
If a customer does not want to be escorted to or from the vehicle to the door of their destination, they must inform the operator of this request. The operator is still required to wait and to ensure that they visually see the customer cross the threshold of the door and are inside the location of their destination.
Wheel-Trans operators are required to call out the customer’s name and correctly identify that they have connected with the right customer. If there is any confusion, operators will confirm the identity of the customer by asking the customer their first name, last name, customer ID number and destination address.
Customer pick-up and notification of arrival:
Customers are required to be waiting near the door or inside the common public entrance at the origin of their trip five minutes prior to the scheduled pick-up time.
If the pick-up location is a house where the door-bell is easily accessible, the Wheel-Trans operator may use the doorbell to notify customers of their arrival as a courtesy, however, Wheel-Trans operators are not required to use the doorbell or buzzer system to notify customers of their arrival.
Family of services trips:
When origin to destination services are provided through Family of Services (a combination of both Wheel-Trans and TTC’s conventional transit services) the operator will escort the customer from the vehicle door to the:
1. the entrance to the subway or bus station;
2. the curb of the designated landmark (lay-by area in close proximity to conventional transit stop or station)
  If a Family of Services trip originates from a conventional transit landmark, the operator will escort the customer from:
3. the entrance to the subway or bus station to the vehicle;
4. the curb of the designated landmark lay-by area in close proximity to conventional transit stop.
If a customer needs to exit before arrival at destination:
Once the trip has begun it is anticipated that customers remain on the vehicle until their destination.
Customers are not permitted to request that the Wheel-Trans operator change their route, i.e. customers cannot change their drop-off from the mall, to the doctor’s instead.
However, should the customer unexpectedly need to vacate the vehicle, they can request to exit the vehicle and terminate the trip. If this occurs, the operator will locate the next available opportunity that is safe and secure to pull over and assist the customer to exit the vehicle. The operator will then contact Dispatch for further instruction.
Safety and Accessibility Standards
Wheel-Trans reserves the right to decline pick-up or drop-off a customer at an origin or destination address if the address does not meet our safety and accessibility standards. These include but are not limited to the following:
1. pathway to door must be accessible;
2. pathway to door must be visible and well illuminated;
3. pathway to door must be clear of ice and snow;
4. pathway to door must be clear of any objects that may present a safety risk to the customer or Wheel-Trans operator;
5. in cases where a ramp exists, the ramp must be fully accessible. The slope of the ramp should not exceed a ratio of 1:12 slope and the ramp should not present a safety risk to the customer or Wheel-Trans operator;
6. all doors must always allow the operator to remain in sight of the vehicle at all times;
7. all doors must provide clear visibility for the customer to the TTC Wheel-Trans vehicle;
8. all doors must not require the vehicle to violate any city by-laws, any regulations under the Highway Traffic Act, or parking regulations.

Exceptions

Wheel-Trans customers with a DNLU (do not leave unattended) status on their file.