TORONTO -- The Toronto Transit Commission is letting disabled riders hop on a subway, bus or streetcar along with their support worker without paying for a second fare.
Spokesman Danny Nicholson says the move, which took effect Sunday, is required under a provincial law meant to boost accessibility.
He says applicants must apply for a free assistant-ride card and have their request certified by a health-care professional.
They'll need to get the photo ID card at select subway stations and renew it every three years.
Nicholson says the TTC put the program through a trial run lasting from Jan. 1 to this weekend, and that the response has been "quite good," with lines of people applying.
A group that provides assistance to the disabled is hailing the change.
Rochelle Lewis with the Moeen Centre, which organizes field trips using public transit for those with disabilities, says that she'll no longer have to pay her own fare during the outings.
"I think this a really good thing because the Wheel-Trans (special buses) don't always come on time and they are hard to get. This will help a lot because we want to go on lots of outings with them," she said.
