Accessible transportation regulations
Most provisions of the – over 200 – are now in force. More complex provisions are being phased-in over two years until 2022.
The ATPDR have been amended to correct errors and inconsistencies so that the ATPDR are as clear as possible. In addition, the Canadian Transportation Agency Designated Provisions Regulations have also been amended to ensure that accessibility-related orders of the CTA can be enforced with administrative monetary penalties. For highlights of the amendments, consult the summary.
The CTA has consolidated its various accessibility instruments – six voluntary codes and two regulations – to create a single, robust, legally binding Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations (ATPDR).
These regulations reflect input received by the CTA from persons with disabilities, industry, members of the CTA's Accessibility Advisory Committee, and the general public. A first phase of consultations was held for a two-year period between 2016 and 2018, and a 30-day comment period was held following the publication of draft regulations on March 9, 2019.
The ATPDR cover all modes of transport under our jurisdiction – air, and interprovincial and international passenger rail, bus, and ferry – as well as security and border screening. The accessibility requirements in the ATPDR will be enforceable by administrative monetary penalties.
Transportation service providers are required to start complying with most of the new provisions as of June 25, 2020. More complex technical requirements will come into force one or two years later to ensure that they can be smoothly implemented.
Consultations on a second phase of regulatory reform related to accessible transportation are now underway. This consultation process will focus on:
- How to apply ATPDR provisions to small transportation providers – with adjustments to reflect their unique operating realities;
- Whether or not to apply the One Person, One Fare (1p1f) requirement to international travel and to small transportation providers;
- What, if anything, to require of transportation providers with respect to Emotional Support Animals and service animals other than dogs; and
- Planning and reporting frameworks for transportation providers, pursuant to the Accessible Canada Act, which came into force on July 11, 2019.
Reference material
- Guides – Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations
- Backgrounder – Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations
- A plain language summary of the Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations
- FAQs: Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations
- What We Heard summary report
- Discussion paper
- 2019-07-10 News release
- 2016-06-06 News release
Milestones
| Date | Status |
|---|---|
Wednesday, July 10, 2019 | Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations now finalized |
- Date modified:
Submitted comments
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