Resolutions

Whereas the province has been providing financial support to municipalities that offer paratransit services for persons with disabilities since 1975 for cities; and

Whereas the program was expanded in 1981 to include towns; and

Whereas there are 74 funded municipalities participating in the Transit Assistance for People with Disabilities Program (TAPD), but this number does not include all the villages that provided similar transit assistance; and

Whereas, in 2011, participating funded municipalities provided 581,043 TAPD eligible trips for people with disabilities who require paratransit transportation, but this data does not include all the municipalities who have provided transportation with no funding assistance; and

Whereas villages and rural municipalities similar to the communities participating in the TAPD program, determine their own operating arrangements which vary in areas that include:

• hours of service; 
• fare structure; 
• eligibility criteria;
• service operations: community or by contract (company/community organization); 
• provision of out‐of‐town services; and 
• vehicles: transit bus; combination of buses, vans and taxis; 

Therefore be it resolved that the SUMA advocate with the Government of Saskatchewan to expand the TAPD program, increasing the funding to accelerate the renewal of the paratransit fleet and allow for the expansion to all municipalities that operate a paratransit service for people with disabilities.