Keeping On...

I have been tired and so stayed home from the scheduled appointment with the DPT on Friday. Lukas and I curled up in bed for most of the day but despite the relative calm and quiet of our abode, sleep was fitful. Since then, I have been flushing the kidneys with copious amounts of water in an attempt to avert another common-to-female problem. I had some bus-related hoops to get through by means of an interview process that is done for certification purposes every five years. That was my afternoon and late morning today.

If the bus people determine that I can use the shared van service for wheelchair users and other persons with disabilities as they have previously, then, I will receive an id card and pay a much smaller amount per trip than I do for a wheelchair taxi as a cash fare currently. There is also a reciprocal program whereby certified members of the shared van system can use a wheelchair taxi at a much reduced rate, so it is worth going through the process.

The downside is time. For an interview, form review signed by medical professional and questions which took fifteen minutes, the time involved from pick up, interview and return home was three hours. That is a large chunk of anyone's day and it does not include securing an appointment with a medical professional to sign the form certifying disability.

Once this is completed, as a rider, I will face time constraints and so-called pick up windows. There are other rules and for rides booked and not taken, there is another window for cancellation, and penalties for what are termed no shows. I also need to plan ahead for any trips, between 24 to 72 hours and reserve accordingly.

My friends and any professionals I deal with have only the barest understanding of this system and some still think that it is possible to get a wheelchair taxi on demand when that is simply not the case. Something about which to think for those of you who enjoy the luxury of mobility, whether by car or on foot.

As our population ages and disability, which is present in every age group, increases, we will have gone well past the point of time necessary to improve infrastructure, vote in public transport options or devote tax monies to bullet trains or improve basic bus service on the whole. Had I no choice but to use the public bus system in my area, the lack of routes, and constant cries about lack of money which are reflected in longer wait times and other factors, would prove problematic at best.

As a country, we have neglected our infrastructure and public transport at our peril, I believe. If we want to live in our neighborhoods as elders, unclog roads we can no longer expand, create bike and bus lanes, reduce noise and environmental pollution and make safety a priority, investing in public transit is a necessity.