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Changes needed at DARTS following delays, mistaken drop-offs

First Published:

There are calls for sweeping changes at DARTS transit in Hamilton following complaints of delays and mistaken drop-offs. An adult centre for clients with special needs says the service disruptions have grown over the weeks and have impacted clients and workers.

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Marylin Preston says her 29-year-old son Cameron Laflamme is mostly nonverbal and living with autism. She says on Wednesday, Cameron was picked up by the transit service en route to an Adult Community Support Program on Upper Paradise Road instead, Cameron was dropped off at Mohawk College with two other riders.

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The adult community support program says when Cameron was dropped off at Mohawk College, they believe he was left alone for roughly five minutes. Much like most of the 21 clients at the adult community support program, Laflamme is not to be left unattended. They say late times have varied from 45 minutes to multiple hours. The security footage provided to CHCH News shows a driver leaving at 5:13 p.m. The centre says it was nearly two hours after the scheduled pick-up.

Owner and operator of the adult day centre, Susanne Craig says she’s filed numerous complaints to DARTS, the City of Hamilton, and the local councillor saying on top of safety concerns, the delays have increased unaffordable labour costs of overtime.

Craig says, “we appreciate that DARTS even exists and they provide this wonderful service but it’s now becoming a safety concern… my question is are these contractors that they’re hiring because of lack of staffing, are they being trained properly? Where is the issue?”

The City of Hamilton director of transit Maureen Cosyn Heath says, “they’re experiencing higher-than-normal driver absenteeism, they have some positions they haven’t filled yet that recruitment is ongoing, and they’ve also advised us of supply chain issues for getting some parts for vehicle repairs.” She says its services through its contractor DARTS are expected to improve soon.

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