YRT is gambling with her health’: Markham wheelchair user struggles with accessible public transit

York Region Transit’s Mobility On-Request says travel training is mandatory to assess eligibility

Bibianne Xu says she is reluctant to stir the pot. Until she has to.

Xu, who has multiple sclerosis (MS), lives in Markham and needs to travel around. But she is having a tough time contending with York Region’s accessible public transit.

“I want to live my life to the fullest,” said 51-year-old Xu. “I don’t want transportation to limit me so much.”

When she lived in Scarborough, she used TTC’s Wheel-Trans service many times per week and never had any concerns about being a part of community life.

But after she moved to Chartwell Woodhaven Long Term Care Residence in 2022, she found that YRT’s Mobility On-Request (MOR) door-to-door paratransit is different.