City demands more than one-third of accessible transit fleet be taken out of service immediately

Hamilton, ON - The City has informed the third-party provider of its accessible transit service to remove more than one-third of its fleet from service until their safety can be verified by third-party mechanics.

The decision to remove a portion of DARTS operated vehicles from service follows similar action taken over the past week with vehicles contracted by the non-profit provider as part of an ongoing audit being performed by the office of City auditor Charles Brown.

The audit, which commenced earlier this month and followed a review of DARTS vehicle maintenance records, was initiated following a confidential complaint received by HSR regarding the state of vehicles operated by or on behalf of DARTS. Initial audit findings indicate that a significant number of vehicles reviewed to date were found to have deficiencies. Initial findings uncovered issues ranging from less severe, such as malfunctioning lights, to more serious problems, such as issues with suspensions and exhausts.

The audit, which expanded its scope to the entire DARTS fleet last week, is expected to be concluded in the coming weeks.

Council received its first full briefing on the issue by City administration at the May 18, 2022 meeting of the City's General Issues Committee.

The City’s transit director, Maureen Cosyn Heath, has provided correspondence to the DARTS management team highlighting the City's concerns. Cosyn Heath provided an update to the board of the non-profit agency last week concerning the state of the organization's fleet and other performance concerns.

Understanding that removing a significant portion of the DARTS fleet from service will necessarily impact service levels, the City has requested that all remaining vehicles, which have already passed inspection, be utilized for priority services such as critical medical appointments.

The City has also requested that necessary repairs be made to vehicles that have not passed inspection as quickly as possible so that the duration of service impacts to those requiring the services of the accessible fleet can be limited as much as possible. Repairs made are subject to re-inspection to the City’s satisfaction. Once deemed suitable for service, the vehicle will be placed back in the pool for service as expeditiously as possible to minimize customer impact.

In the coming weeks, a public report detailing the findings of the City auditor will be presented to members of City Council, which will include a summary of the inspections that were performed, as well as any systemic issues identified.

A separate report will be coming forward that will provide an overview of the current service arrangement with DARTS as well as providing members of Council with options on how the service might be managed differently.

Quick Facts

• DARTS is a non-profit, charitable organization that provides specialized transit services in Hamilton. DARTS owns a fleet of accessible vehicles, and subcontracts for minivan and sedan service.  DARTS is under contract to the Accessible Transportation Services section of HSR.
• DARTS, including their subcontractors, currently operated approximately 136 vehicles that provide approximately 36,000 trips per month for persons with disabilities in Hamilton.
• After unsatisfactory discussions with members of the DARTS management team, the City employed the services of the Office of the City Auditor to obtain an independent assessment of the state of all DARTS vehicles.
• Following an initial review of a portion of the DARTS fleet where depending on inspection date, as many as 45 per cent of vehicles did not meet expectations, the OCA expanded its investigation to include all DARTS vehicles.