This letter is in response to the Ride Free No More article appearing on January 20.
I am writing this letter to address an article written by your reporter Vivian Belik, which contained inaccurate information.
In her article, Belik stated the city is looking to cancel its Ride Free program, an initiative that offers free transit service to disabled members of our community. This is not accurate. The city is, in fact, reviewing its Ride Free policy to ensure it’s working as intended and that persons who qualify for the program are aware of its existence.
Belik then stated that while many cities across our country offer free bus service to those with disabilities, such as the visually impaired, “Whitehorse is one of the few cities in Canada where the program doesn’t exist.”
This is, in fact, false. Whitehorse is one of the few cities that offers free service to all persons with disabilities, not just the visually impaired, and has offered such opportunities through the Ride Free program for several years.
Whitehorse Transit continues to work towards improved service, including the purchase of low-floor vehicles to make its entire fleet 100 per cent accessible to all members of our community.
Dave Muir, Whitehorse Transit manager
Whitehorse