The Ontario Government is picking up the cost of the DARTS eligibility review which City Council approved in December 2020.
The review follows an internal audit report which found serious administrative deficiencies resulting in Hamilton approving more people for para-transit services than comparable municipalities.
This is the latest chapter in the long running saga of DARTS significant costs increases in the past decade since City Council approved free transit for all people over the age of 80 and with mobility devices. This resulted in a drop in revenue for DARTS and increasing demand for the free service. (I wrote on this in February 2019.)
No timeline is yet available for when the review will report to Council.