Accessible black car and limousine service in Toronto: what we can and cannot do

Accessible service, in one paragraph

Accessibility is a promise a service should make carefully, and this article makes it carefully. A black car fleet is sedans, SUVs and Sprinters, and for most passengers with disabilities — those who can transfer to a car seat with help, those who use a walker or a cane, those with visual or hearing impairments, those with a service animal — those vehicles and a trained chauffeur are fully adequate and the service is the same as anyone's with more help at the door. For passengers who cannot transfer and travel in their wheelchair, the fleet has a small number of accessible vans and access to partners' vans, and the honest limit is notice: a day or two, not an hour. This article sets out the assistance every chauffeur gives, the vehicles and what each accommodates, the accessible van and how to book it, service animals and equipment, the airports' and hospitals' facilities and how the pickup works at each, the pace and the manner, the fare (the same), the AODA standard and the training behind it, and — plainly — the situations where the city's accessible taxi programme or Wheel-Trans is the right answer.

What every chauffeur does

The chauffeur texts from the curb and comes to the door; offers an arm (and waits to be taken rather than taking); helps with the seat, the belt and the door; folds and stows a wheelchair, walker, scooter or cane; brings the car as close as the driveway or the porte-cochère allows; adjusts the pace of the drive and the walk; carries bags to the door and inside if asked; at a hospital walks the passenger to the clinic's desk and at a hotel to the front desk; reads a sign aloud for a passenger who cannot see it and faces a passenger who reads lips; and does none of it in a way that treats the passenger as a task. The training is the AODA customer service standard and the fleet's own, described in the how chauffeurs are vetted article, and the seniors' guide describes the same care for older passengers.

Sedans and SUVs: the passenger who can transfer

A passenger who uses a wheelchair and can transfer to a car seat — with the chauffeur's arm, a transfer board they bring, or on their own — rides in any sedan or SUV; the chair folds and goes in the trunk (a sedan's trunk takes a folding manual chair; an SUV's takes a folding chair and luggage; a power chair that does not fold is the van's case). The SUV's higher seat is easier for some passengers and harder for others; the sedan's lower seat the reverse; the booking's notes decide, and the executive sedan vs luxury SUV article mentions the height. A passenger with a walker, a cane, crutches or a prosthesis rides in either with the aid stowed.

The Sprinter: the step and the space

The Sprinter's rear compartment has a step (a retractable one on ours) and grab handles, and its interior height means a passenger walks in rather than lowering into a seat; for some passengers with mobility limits it is the easiest vehicle in the fleet, and for a family travelling with a member who uses a folding chair it has the space for the chair, the luggage and everyone. It is not wheelchair-accessible in the ride-in sense; the Sprinter guide describes it.

The accessible van: the passenger who cannot transfer

A passenger who travels seated in their wheelchair — a power chair, a chair they cannot leave — needs a wheelchair-accessible van: a ramp or a lift, a lowered floor or a raised roof, four-point tie-downs that secure the chair to the floor, and a lap-and-shoulder belt for the passenger; the chauffeur secures the chair and the passenger and checks both. We have a small number of these vans and access to more through partners whose drivers are trained to the same standard, and the honest condition is notice: a day or two for a booking, a week for a busy period, and not the same day. The van's fare is the SUV class's fare for the distance. The network page describes the partners and the group transfers article the version where a group includes a chair user.

Service animals

A service animal rides with its handler in any vehicle, always, without notice, without charge and without question beyond the handler's word; the chauffeur does not touch or address the animal without the handler's invitation and makes room on the floor. Pets in carriers are a different matter and the in-car amenities article covers the policy.

Oxygen, medical equipment and supplies

A portable oxygen concentrator travels on the seat beside the passenger or on the floor, secured; oxygen cylinders are permitted in a passenger vehicle in the quantities a person carries for personal use and the chauffeur secures them upright; a CPAP, a feeding pump, dialysis supplies, a cooler of medication — all travel with the passenger and the booking's notes tell the chauffeur what to expect. The medical appointments article covers the clinical trips and what a black car is not (an ambulance).

Pearson and Billy Bishop

Pearson's terminals are accessible from the aircraft to Door A — the airline provides wheelchair assistance from the gate to the arrivals hall on request (booked with the airline, not with us), the arrivals levels are step-free with elevators from the customs level, and the pre-arranged zone at Door A has an accessible curb; our chauffeur takes over at the arrivals hall with meet and greet, which is the right add-on for an accessible pickup. The accessible van loads at Door A with the ramp; the GTAA's marshals allow the extra minutes. Billy Bishop's tunnel is fully accessible with elevators at both ends, and the Eireann Quay pickup is step-free; the Billy Bishop guide covers it.

Hospitals, hotels and venues

Every hospital's accessible entrance and its wheelchairs at the door are on the chauffeur's map (hospital row covers University Avenue); the downtown hotels' porte-cochères are step-free and their doormen assist; Scotiabank Arena, the Rogers Centre, Roy Thomson Hall and the Mirvish theatres have accessible entrances and drop-off points that the event limo page and the venue guides describe, and the chauffeur uses them. A passenger who tells the booking which venue and which entrance they need gets it.

The pace, the manner and the language

The passenger sets the pace; the chauffeur follows. The chauffeur asks before helping and does what is asked, not what they assume; speaks to the passenger, not to a companion, unless asked; describes what they are doing for a passenger who cannot see it; faces a passenger who reads lips and writes a note if needed; and treats the trip as a trip. A passenger who prefers a particular chauffeur, once found, requests them by name and the standing orders article explains how the request is kept.

The fare

The same fixed fare or hourly rate as any passenger's, for the vehicle class — the accessible van at the SUV class's rate — with no accessibility surcharge and the same waiting allowances; a passenger who needs more time at the door has it, uncounted. The how much does a black car cost article has the structure.

The AODA standard and the training

Ontario's Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and its Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation set the customer service standard for businesses — policies on serving people with disabilities, on service animals and support persons, on assistive devices, on communication, and staff training — and the transportation standard that applies to accessible taxi and transit services; our chauffeurs are trained to the customer service standard and the accessible van's drivers to the transportation standard's securement and boarding requirements. The passenger safety article covers the securement's importance.

When the city's services are the right call

For a same-day accessible van — a passenger who cannot transfer and needs a car in an hour — Toronto's accessible taxi programme, dispatched through the taxi brokerages, has many more vans than any black car fleet and is the right call; for regular travel within Toronto, the TTC's Wheel-Trans serves registered customers door to door at transit fares. For the booked trip with notice — the airport, the appointment, the wedding, the day out — our van and our chauffeur are the right call. We say this plainly because a passenger who needs a van at 4 p.m. today should call the service that has one, and the limo vs taxi comparison mentions the accessible taxi programme as the taxi fleet's genuine public advantage.

What to tell dispatch

Whether the passenger can transfer or travels in the chair; the chair's type (manual folding, power, dimensions if unusual); a walker, cane or scooter; a service animal; oxygen or equipment; the venue's or hospital's accessible entrance; whether a companion travels; the pace; any communication preference; and the notice you can give. Dispatch books the vehicle, briefs the chauffeur and confirms what will be at the curb.

A worked booking: a wedding guest who uses a power chair

A guest from Ottawa arriving at Pearson on a Friday for a Saturday wedding at a Vaughan hall, travelling in a power chair with a companion, booked ten days ahead. Friday: the airline's assistance to the arrivals hall; our chauffeur inside with a board (meet and greet); the accessible van at Door A with the ramp; the chair secured with four tie-downs, the companion beside; the hotel's accessible entrance in Vaughan. Saturday: the van from the hotel to the hall's accessible door at 3, and back at midnight, the chauffeur waiting on an hourly. Sunday: the van to Terminal 1's departures curb, the airline's assistance from there. Four trips, one van, one chauffeur, the SUV class's fares, and a guest who danced.

Accessible service quick reference

Booking accessible service

A call to dispatch (the contact page) with the list above books the right vehicle and briefs the chauffeur; the engine's notes field takes the details for a booking that needs no van; the seniors' guide and the medical appointments article cover the trips most often booked.

Booking notes for accessible service

Three small things. Say whether the passenger transfers or rides in the chair — it is the whole vehicle decision. Give the notice; a van booked a week ahead is certain and one requested this afternoon is the taxi programme's. And name the entrance at the hospital, the hotel or the venue; the accessible door is not always the front one, and the chauffeur's map has both.

Arrange an accessible booking