Accessibility complaints about transportation services

ASL version of Accessibility Help Line of Accessibility complaints about transportation services

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Continue to the next video: Definition of disability

Persons with disabilities have a right to equal access to federal transportation services.

We can help with complaints that are related to a person's disability and occurred while travelling on the national transportation system, which includes:

• airlines operating within, to, or from Canada;
• rail, ferry and bus carriers that operate between provinces or territories or between Canada and the United States;
• airports, rail stations and ferry terminals located in Canada; or
• services that are integral to the transportation services provided by a carrier or terminal located in Canada.

Definition of disability

ASL version of Definition of disability

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Continue to the next video: After you submit a complaint: Dispute resolution services

A disability is defined as any impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment — or a functional limitation — whether permanent, temporary or episodic in nature, or evident or not, that, in interaction with a barrier, hinders a person’s full and equal participation in society.

Filing a complaint

ASL version of After you submit a complaint: Dispute resolution services

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Continue to the next video: Other organizations that can help

You will receive a confirmation email that includes a case number. You can check the status of your complaint at any time online.

Our expert staff will review your complaint and ask you for more information, if necessary. You may need to complete a Medical Information Form.

If you haven't contacted the transportation service provider about your complaint, that's the first thing we'll do. We will forward your complaint with a 30-day deadline for them to respond. Often the issue can be resolved directly with the transportation service provider.

If you're not satisfied with the response, we can try to resolve your complaint through mediation – a fast and easy informal dispute resolution process. The vast majority of complaints are resolved this way.

Where less formal processes don't prove successful, the Agency also offers a court-like process called adjudication, where a panel will make a decision based on the evidence provided.

The adjudication process can also be used in more complex cases where a passenger feels that the transportation service provider's contract is unclear, unjust, unreasonable or discriminatory.

Support for attendance at oral adjudication hearings

If the Agency convenes an in-person hearing for your disability-related adjudication case, limited funding may be available to help cover your travel and accommodation expenses to take part in the hearing.

Other organizations that can help

ASL version of Other organizations that can help

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End of ASL videos - Accessibility complaints about transportation services

If you make a complaint to the Canadian Transportation Agency about accessibility, we may refer you to another organization that is better suited to address your issue.

Before you file a complaint with us, you may want to look into whether one of the organizations listed below is more appropriate to deal with your accessibility complaint. 

• The Canadian Human Rights Commission receives discrimination complaints and works to resolve the issues through mediation. When a complaint cannot be settled, or when the Commission determines that further examination is warranted, it may refer the complaint to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal.
• The Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board administers the collective bargaining and grievance adjudication systems for the federal public sector and Parliamentary employees as well as RCMP members and reservists. It is also responsible for resolving staffing complaints under the Public Service Employment Act related to internal appointments and layoffs in the federal public service.
• The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission receives customer complaints about telecommunications and television services.