Yellowknife (Mar 09/05) - Cornelius Van Dyke hopes to catch the bus to work one day.

Presently the transit system isn't equipped to handle his wheelchair, but on Monday the Yellowknife resident listened carefully as a consultant gave a progress report for the planned accessible transit system, which the city hopes to get rolling this June.

Cornelius Van Dyke hopes to ride the city's proposed accessible transport system to work.

The proposed shuttle bus system will cost $160,000 annually and run during the same hours as the existing bus routes, said Dennis Fletcher from Entra Consultants.

He expects around 300 people will use the system. Users will have to book in advance. A draft of the vendor contract is expected to be ready by the end of the month.

The city has its eye on the federal gas tax as a source of funding for the program, said Mayor Gord Van Tighem after the meeting. So far the NWT government hasn't shown interest in helping fund the program, he said.

Government funding varies across the country for similar programs. In the Maritimes, no provincial funding is offered, while B.C. and Alberta offer generous amounts, Fletcher said.

Advocates for the disabled have called on the city to introduce accessible transit for years.

Canadian Paraplegic Society president Shawn Roper commended the city for the steps they've taken so far, although he had some concerns about the routes.

The system will cover the same areas as the existing bus routes, and Roper said there could be disabled residents in places like Kam Lake beyond the new program's reach.

"Why would a person from Kam Lake be excluded?" he asked.

As for Van Dyke, he has some concerns about waiting for a ride home.

Open-ended trips will be available for visits of an unpredictable length, like a doctor's appointment, but transit riders may have to wait an hour or so after they ask to be picked up.

Van Dyke says this could be a worry if the appointment is late in the afternoon and he finds himself stuck somewhere as the building closes. Still, he says, these are small concerns.

"These are the hiccups that you'd expect and will be overcome," he said. "I think they're moving in the right direction."