The Canadian Transportation Agency issues summary of discussions about accessibility of small transportation service providers in remote, rural and northern communities

July 26, 2024 – Gatineau, QC – Canadian Transportation Agency

The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) has issued a summary of discussions related to the transport of persons with disabilities with small transportations service provider (STSPs).

The purpose of these discussions and site visits was to learn about the experience of persons with disabilities when traveling with STSPs and the operational realities and challenges of these STSPs in delivering accessible transportation services.

Background

The CTA is considering extending elements of the existing Accessible transportation for persons with disabilities regulations (ATPDR) to STSPs in a second phase of the ATPDR.

Currently, the ATPDR cover larger TSPs, such as airlines that transported over one million passengers in each of the last two calendar years. STSPs are not currently covered by the ATPDR.

STSPs are a diverse group of transportation service providers and facility operators providing federally-regulated air, rail, ferry, and bus transportation services. They range from very small carriers that operate in remote, rural and northern communities, to larger carriers that operate to and from cities across Canada and internationally. Many of these face a number of constraints and operating realities.