I am writing this letter on behalf of a neighbour who is confined to a wheelchair and is 90 years young.
For the past three years, he has looked after his wife of 50 years who has early stages of dementia and has done an admirable job, considering his and her disabilities.
In February, his wife was hospitalized and remains in hospital to this day.
Recently, he has been advised that he has to start paying for her to remain in hospital although he has no say in her future.
For him to visit his wife every second day at the hospital he must pay $40 return daily for a taxi. The reason he must pay this is because Handy Dart will not carry him as his electric scooter purchased in Prince George happens to be four inches longer than the rules for transportation.
How do things like this happen?
Why would he have been sold an electric scooter that is too long for Handy Dart requirements?
I rarely see more than three people on a Handy Dart at one time and in most cases one. He has been on Handy Dart buses, as he should, however someone in their wisdom figures we will teach him a lesson with his four-inch oversized scooter.
Now this may seem trivial to some, however $40 as opposed to $10 return to visit his wife in the hospital is substantial for a fixed income family.
Why would we penalize those whose service this was intended?
The most ironic part of this story was this winter when the individual who shops for groceries twice weekly for he and his wife was stuck at Superstore because the taxis that are equipped for this were not available and they had Handy Dart pick him up.
Come on, Prince George, we are better than this.
Let's bite the bullet and let him ride on Handy Dart, which is meant for these kinds of customers.
George Marcus
Prince George
