Halifax to drop free bus passes for blind
Last Updated: Wednesday, December 31, 2008 | 2:53 PM AT
CBC News
The Halifax Regional Municipality will stop giving free transit passes to blind riders this summer.
For years, Metro Transit has given about 500 passes annually to the local office of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, which then distributed them.
But municipal officials say it's unfair to give free rides to blind passengers and not to people with other disabilities.
"It's not something we like to have to take away from one group," said Lori Patterson, spokeswoman for Metro Transit. "But the fact [is] that we're not able to offer it to many groups.
"We're trying to be fair to everybody, and this is what we have to do."
Patterson said there have been complaints from other groups. So the free rides end on July 1.
Jennifer MacNeil, with the Halifax chapter of the Canadian Council for the Blind, isn't pleased.
"A lot of the blind community and other disabled groups have low incomes, and when you're out there looking for jobs or looking for interviews, it's hard if you can't afford a bus pass," MacNeil said.
A basic monthly transit pass costs $60.
