Access Guide Canada

By Christine Staddon

Two cornerstones of the Canadian Abilities Foundation’s mandate are to provide information and promote the full integration of people with disabilities into all aspects of community life. The ability to get around and participate in community life is fundamental to a sense of independence and inclusion. Many would agree that the availability of accessible transportation opens doors to education, employment and leisure activities.

Unfortunately, Canadians with disabilities still face many barriers to accessible transportation (for details, see the Council of Canadians with Disabilities' Forum article in this issue). Access Guide Canada can make it easier for you to find accessible transportation options to get where you need to go.


Visit Access Guide Canada, www.abilities.ca/agc.

Select a community: choose your hometown or another place in Canada that you want to visit.

Select the type of listing: choose transportation services for getting around town or for travelling to other communities.


What types of listings are available?

Accessible transit — Standard, fixed-route transit systems available to the general public that have accessible vehicles to accommodate people with disabilities.

Parallel transit — Often called paratransit, this is a system of transportation that works parallel to the fixed-route transit system. Parallel transit systems usually offer door-todoor service.

Taxi companies — Any car/van company available to drive you to your choice of destination. This includes companies with accessible vehicles and those that specialize in service to people with disabilities.

Stations/terminals — Information on the accessibility of bus, train and ferry stations and terminal buildings.

Bus, train and ferry carriers — Companies that offer travel to the public using one or more of these types of vehicles.

Airports — Information on the accessibility of airport terminals and their policies on providing access to people with disabilities.

Vehicle rentals — Companies that rent vehicles that can either be driven by or accommodate people with disabilities.


We have listings from coast to coast. Here’s a quick scan of Access Guide Canada.
* Accessible transit in Red Deer, Alta., Chilliwack, B.C., Sudbury, Ont., and Winnipeg, Man.
* Parallel transit in Whitehorse, Yuk., London, Ont., Calgary, Alta., and St. John’s, Nfld.
* Taxi companies in Brandon, Man., Kenora, Ont., Ste. Julienne, Que., and Frederiction, N.B.
* Stations/terminals, such as a VIA station in Sackville, N.S., a Greyhound terminal in Orillia, Ont., and a BC Ferries terminal in Nanaimo, B.C.
* Airports ranging from large airports, such as Halifax International, to Grande Prairie Airport in Alberta
* Vehicle rental locations with cars to meet your needs, including Thrifty’s in Charlottetown, P.E.I., Enterprise in Selkirk, Man., and Hertz in Chicoutimi, Que.

(This is a sample of listings. Check out Access Guide Canada online to find many more Canadian communities with transportation listings.)


Help Access Guide Canada grow!
* Add transportation services that are not currently listed.
* Comment on your experiences with the services that are already in Access Guide Canada.
* Tell us if our listings need updating.

We acknowledge the generous support of our founding corporate sponsor, CIBC.