P.E.I. introduces new accessible taxi for Charlottetown area

A Charlottetown man says a new accessible taxi service in the capital region is helping his mental health.

Dave Bell, who is in a wheelchair, speaks about the launch this week of Cudmore’s Accessible Cab, a new transportation service for people with accessibility issues in Charlottetown, Cornwall and Stratford.

The cab is an on-demand, first-come, first-served taxi service that provides spontaneous transportation throughout the capital region.

“I’m thrilled to death. I get a little emotional about it because it opens up a huge door for anybody with disabilities, just a huge door because the excuse is not there now that you can’t get out,” Bell told The Guardian in an interview on Oct. 7, his voice shaking and tears welling in his eyes.

The cab is named after Paul Cudmore, a long-time advocate for Islanders with disabilities.

It is a pilot project funded through a partnership between the P.E.I. government, the City of Charlottetown and the towns of Stratford and Cornwall. It is operated under the umbrella of Pat and the Elephant, which has provided pre-booked accessible transportation to Islanders since 1975.

The cab cost $120,000 to put on the road and can accommodate two wheelchairs at a time.

Bell noted the service is convenient and comes in very handy for emergency calls.

“Say I have something wrong with me, but it is not an (Island) EMS trip,” Bell said. “I don’t have to phone EMS to take me over (to the hospital). Now I have a taxi. I just call the after-hours number and, bang, you’re gone to the hospital. That’s a major (advantage). It is the freedom to come and go as you like.”

Bell said the difference between this service and the traditional service that Pat and the Elephant provides is that Pat and the Elephant must be pre-booked. Cudmore’s Accessible Cab does not.

“This summer, I had people home from British Columbia and they were going to Peakes Quay at 3:00 that afternoon. I couldn’t get a ride (with Pat and the Elephant) until 6. They were all booked.”

Jason Paulino, one of the drivers for Cudmore’s Accessible Cab, has worked full-time with Pat and the Elephant for 19 years.

Paulino said the new service means the world to him because of how close he gets to his customers.

“I quickly realized this was the best job on the Island, it really is,” Paulino said. “It’s the perspective on life, just meeting these people. It means a lot that you can go home at the end of the day, and you know you helped people. It’s a job where I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

Paulino, who said drivers become a part of their customers’ lives, told The Guardian he did not realize how much introducing on-demand service would mean to the people they transport.

“As much as we love everybody that rides in the van, it’s when they call at the last second that creates a challenge. (For example) a lot of times doctors are changing their appointments at the last minute and they expect you to be there,” Paulino said.

“If that appointment gets moved to the next day all of a sudden, your transportation is out the window because Pat and the Elephant is all booked up. (This) is peace of mind.”

• Following is the cost for Cudmore’s Accessible Cab and Pat and the Elephant:
• Cudmore’s Accessible Cab: $8.50 plus $1.60 per kilometre. There are no additional charges for extra passengers or wait time. It does not have to be pre-booked. Call 782-377-8416.
• Pat and the Elephant: $17.50 one way or $35 for a return trip. A $2.50 fuel charge is applied to all trips and was brought in Sept. 27 to address rising operating costs. Call 902-894-3339 or after hours 902-388-8211.

Paulino is handing out business cards with a phone number and telling people it does not matter where they want to go or why. Call him.

“That speaks to the mental health aspect of it,” he said. “(People) aren’t stuck. For me, the success is actually that (customers) have the business card and can call.”

Service is available daily from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday. On Fridays and Saturdays, hours are extended from 7 a.m. to 3 a.m.

Steve Brosseau, president of Pat and the Elephant, said in a news release that transportation should never be a barrier to participating in community life.

In the same release, Glen Flood, executive director of Spinal Cord Injury P.E.I., said he is excited the accessible taxi is a reality after working on it for so long.

Bell said he thinks the world of the staff at Pat and the Elephant and is glad to see this new chapter launched.

“The business has grown so big and so strong and so busy it’s hard to get a ride because you have to book in advance,” Bell said. “I’m very happy that there is now an on-demand thing.”

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Dave Stewart is a reporter for The Guardian in Prince Edward Island. He can be reached at dstewart@postmedia.com and followed on X at @DveStewart.