Hamilton orders one-third of DARTS accessible transit fleet off the road over safety concerns
The city has ordered its accessible transit provider to park more than one-third of DARTS vehicles over the discovery of widespread potential safety issues.
More than 40 of the vans and sedans owned or subcontracted by charitable operator DARTS must go out of service immediately and stay off the road until they are inspected and deemed safe, the city said in a briefing this morning.
It could take a few weeks to complete all safety inspections and, if necessary, repairs.
Hamilton transit head Maureen Cosyn Heath acknowledged the vehicle shortage will nonetheless create significant service impacts" for disabled residents who rely on the shared-ride transit booking service. That is regrettable, but we feel it is an unavoidable decision," she said.
The service provided about 30,000 trips last month and close to 10,000 residents are registered as potential riders.
In the meantime, the city said it will work with DARTS to prioritize" available trips for critical needs like medical appointments for dialysis. The city's order to park DARTS vehicles does not apply to separate accessible taxi services that remain available to residents in search of rides.
No DARTS official was made available to speak on the matter at the city briefing. The Spectator has reached out for an interview.
The safety shutdown was prompted by a confidential complaint" about maintenance records earlier this year that triggered a city audit. That scan of about 40 vehicles found a significant" number of issues ranging from malfunctioning lights to more serious suspension and exhaust problems.
It was not immediately clear how many of the parked DARTS vehicles actually require safety repairs versus those that simply have not yet been inspected.
More to come.