HandyDART is TransLink’s door-to-door transit service for anyone that may not be able to use the conventional transit system. Every day, it is a lifeline for so many Metro Vancouverites with disabilities. To ensure HandyDART is ready to continue delivering top-notch service to an expanding customer base, we’ve modernized HandyDART service.

If you or a loved-one are new or returning customers, here are seven HandyDART improvements you might’ve missed during the COVID-era:

Contactless payment through Compass

In October of this year, we installed Compass Card readers on our entire fleet of HandyDART vehicles. This means HandyDART customers can save time searching through their wallets for Fare Savers or loose change. HandyDART customers can now pay by simply tapping in with their pre-loaded Compass Cards.

Through Compass, every HandyDART user can now:

• Access AutoLoad for automatic balance top-ups.
• Protect their Stored Value balance if their Compass Card is lost or stolen.
• Transfer more easily between HandyDART and the bus, SeaBus, SkyTrain, and West Coast Express.
• Use additional fare products such as DayPasses, Compass Wristbands or Compass Wearables.

Age-based discounts

We’ve lowered fares for many of our HandyDART customers! Over 70 per cent of HandyDART customers are either seniors (aged 65 or older) or youth (aged 13 to 18). These new changes mean that those riders will pay less for the service, while the other 30 per cent of users will pay the same as they did before. Along with all TransLink services, children 12 and under now also ride for free.

PAYMENT METHOD	OLD FARE	NEW FARE	SAVINGS
Cash	$3.05	$2.00	$1.05 per trip
FareSaver (now paid through Compass Card)	$2.45	$2.00	$0.45 per trip
Monthly Transit Pass	$100.25	$57.30	$42.95 per month

Service alerts

HandyDART service alerts are now available through text or email! Go to translink.ca/signup to start receiving alerts today.

Ventilation improvements

Maintaining air circulation on transit vehicles is incredibly important, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. While conventional buses open their doors an average of 50-times per hour, HandyDART is a door-to-door service where the doors open less often. This means less air circulation onboard. We quickly identified this need for improved ventilation and installed new vents on our entire fleet of HandyDART vehicles to create a constant flow of air circulation for our customers.

These vents are called Flettner Vents, which is a ventilation system fixed to the roof of vehicles. These vents continuously circulate fresh air into the vehicle. By the end of May, Coast Mountain Bus Company finished installing these vents onto the full HandyDART fleet of 340 vehicles to improve ventilation and keep our customers safer.

Food delivery

 

In 2020, our HandyDART operators delivered meals to seniors and families to reduce the number of trips they’d have to make for food. Through a partnership with the Cedar Cottage Neighbourhood House and the Kiwassa Neighbourhood House, HandyDART operators delivered 3,129 meals to help the community in a time of need.

Wellness calls

Customer Care Representatives at Access Transit created a check-in initiative to ensure customers were supported. Last year, employees made over 9,000 wellness calls to customers to ensure they were doing okay, had proper access to community supports, and to collect feedback on improvements that could be made to HandyDART.

General COVID-19 safety improvements

HandyDART responded quickly to keep customers safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through our Safe Operating Action Plan, HandyDART continuously works with top health authorities to ensure our protocols are based on current advice.

Here are some of the other ways HandyDART responded to the pandemic to keep passengers safer:

• Physical distancing
  • HandyDART dispatchers have limited the number of passengers allowed on a HandyDART trip at a time, delivering single-passenger trips wherever possible.
• Enhanced cleaning
  • HandyDART vehicles are disinfected daily with extra attention spent on high-touch surfaces such as yellow grab rails and seatbelts.
• Customer pre-screening
  • In 2020, HandyDART customers were pre-screened for COVID-19 symptoms as part of the booking process.
• Mandatory masks
  • Masks are mandatory throughout the duration of HandyDART travel.

Learn more

• To sign up for HandyDART or for more information about the service, visit translink.ca/handydart.
• Read the 2020 HandyDART Service Performance Review