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New accessible taxi program gives more mobility to disabled Ontario Minister of Transpor- tation, Ed Fulton, has announced a new accessible taxi program which promises greater mobility for the disabled. "Currently, existing taxis do their best to transport the ambulatory disabled, senior citizens and in- dividuals who are able to transfer from their wheelchairs," says Fulton. "However, people who can- not transfer from their wheelchairs are not able to use regular taxis." Under the Ministry of Transpor- tation's new program, manufac- turers will be encouraged to produce the specially-designed vehicles and taxi operators en- couraged to add accessible taxis to their fleets. Fulton officially unveiled the first accessible taxi service in Sudbury, Ontario on March 8th. Already in service in Europe and Vancouver, accessible taxis are roomy van-like vehicles with ramps which eliminate the difficulties associated with transferring a passenger from their wheelchair to a seat. The disabled person can en- ter the vehicle in a wheelchair and remain in the chair for the duration of the trip. These taxis provide a more dignified trip while giving the disabled a new freedom of choice, says MTO's Dave Hanes, assistant coordinator for the transportation of disabledpersons. Hanes predicts they will prove very popular among the disabled, the non-disabled and taxi operators SEEPAGEA3 DAVE SMITH of Whitby, salesperson for Shepard Lin- coln-Mercury on Highway 7 in Pickering, recently received a Ford Motor Co. award for customer satisfaction based on a survey of Ford customers. Smithsays Sheperd, located in a rural area, offers a more laid-back atmosphere and is becoming known as a truck (pick-up) dealership. Free Press photo A 1913 HUDSON owned by Bill Mahaffy the Brooklin Spring Fair over the of Brooklin attracted a lot of attention weekend. Mahaffy obtained the car as one of the antique cars on display at from Fawcett's of Whitby. For fuel efficiency, Sprint is the best, Rolis the worst According to Transport Cana- da, the two most fuel efficient cars sold in Canada are the Chevrolet Sprint and the Pontiac Firefly. Both get a combined 4.9 litres per 100 kilometers (58 miles to the gallon - 53 mpg in the city and 64 mpg on the highway.) The worst gas mileage, accor- ding to Transport Canada is the Rolls-Royce Corniche II which gets only 23 litres per 100 kilometers combined (12 mpg.) Following close behind is the Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit with a combined 22.1 litres per 100 kilometers (13 mpg.) Fuel consuiption figures are contained in the 1988 fuel consumption guide produced annually by Transport Canada. Figures were submitted to Transport Canada by the vehicle manufacturers and importers which had to certify that the tests and calculations were carried out according to approved Transport Canada test methods. Those test methods involve driving a new vehicle 6,000 km., then placing it on a labratory chassis where it is run for specified distances and speeds. According to Transport Cana- da, a poorly maintained vehicle consumes up to 15 per cent more fuel with the three most common causes of high fuel consumption: low tire pressure, misfiring of retarded spark plugs and overly rich idle mixture at the car- buretor. Other factors involving fuel consumption include speed - most Other factors involving fuel consumption include speed - most cars use about 20 per cent more gas if driven at 110 km/h instead of 90 km/h and temperature, when low temperatures are com- bined with short trips and excessive idling to warm the engine, fuel consumption in winter can be 50 per cent greater than summer. The 10 best cars for fuel consumption according to Trans- SEEPAGE A2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Used car, service centre opens See page A4 Vintage racing at Shannonville See page A6 CONSIDE FREES UP CASH - ad,. ~fl~y lE BENEFITS OF LEASING MORE CARS FOR LE$$ ONE STOP SHOPPING 101 BROCK ST. S., WHITBY 400 KING ST. W., OSHAWA '?~t" #~'~ I ....I ~.1 gdi bqd5ný)-j y9jjj-juo,) if)j.è.ïa bim