In 1989, a small group of committed and dedicated individuals came together with a common cream and a shared vision. What made this group somewhat unique was the fact that, because of varying disabilities, they all relied on a wheelchair or a scooter for their independent mobility. Their dream was to be able to do what most transit users take for granted each and every day; to be able to board a public transit bus and to do so independently, with pride, with confidence and to be welcomed on-board just like any other transit passenger!
In 1991; following 24 months of focused efforts, these individuals, then operating as ComPACT (the Committee to Promote Accessible Conventional Transit) successfully obtained a commitment from the Vancouver Regional Transit Commission, which in turn convinced the BC Transit board to introduce accessible conventional public transit buses throughout BC. In 1999, when Translink was born, they too embraced this commitment to accessible transit and have continued to champion the original dream to ensure the fieet was 100% accessible which brings us together today. In addition, they expanded the original vision and dream to ensure accessibility for persons with other types of disabilities. Today, to the credit of Translinks management and staff and also to the credit of the many service providers which operate under the TransLink umbrella such as Coast Mountain Bus Company and SkyTrain, seniors and persons with other types of disabilities such as vision loss, hearing impairments and others can enjoy Independant and inclusive access to the public transit systems throughout Metro Vancouver.
Given Translink’s commitment and attention to accessible transit, they are now considered as one of the most progressive public transit service providers in Canada.
And North America for that matter. Many of the original founders of ComPACT have passed on but they all survived to see their dream begin to take shape. Some of those folks who assembled in 1989 are still with us today, and continue to provide their experience and expertise toward accessibility issues. ComPACT, recognizing their objective had been reached, recently passed the torch to a new committee within TransLink known as the Access Transit Users Advisory Committee. TransLink has embraced this new committee under its Access Transit Plan. This committee is comprised of dedicated transit users made up of seniors and persons with various disabilities, all of whom have a passion for an inclusive and accessible transit system.
We recognize there are some physical and prographical imitations that simply will not allow some stops to be made accessible to all. And while we acknowledge there is much work to do to make as many bus stops as possible accessible for seniors and passengers with disabilities, the Access Transit Users Advisory Committee wishes to congratulate TransLink and Coast Mountain Bus Company for this milestone accomplishment. We look forward to continuing our work with Translink and all its subsidiaries in their goal to provide an inclusive and accessible transit system for all.
Please join me and my colleagues from the Access Transit Advisory Committee in congratulating Translink on this day of celebration!