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The Canadian National Institute for the Blind wants Fredericton's Dial-a-Bus service to be available to its clients if they need service.

"CNIB's position is that any kind of public transportation needs to be accessible to the people we serve," said Duncan Williams, director of services and operations manager of CNIB for New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

Williams was responding to a Fredericton case where first-year University of New Brunswick law student Everett Zufelt wanted to travel to his workplace on the Dial-a-Bus operated by Fredericton Transit, but was initially denied a ride because blindness isn't considered a mobility impairment.

Zufelt was granted a temporary pass for the service since he is new to the city, but his pass expires July 12.

Zufelt said the Dial-a-Bus policy banning blanket use of the service by blind and visually impaired riders is discriminatory.

He has filed a preliminary complaint with New Brunswick's Human Rights Commission, but hopes the city is willing to discuss a policy change so that all blind people in Fredericton can access the publicly funded transit service if they want to.

"Our role is to help people to develop the skills to be independent in the community and we teach them through what's called orientation and mobility instructors, how to navigate the community safely and to participate fully in their community," Williams said.

"For some clients, the bus works fine, but in a city such as Fredericton, where bus service is limited and not exactly a robust service, Dial-a-Bus will likely be a necessity for some of our clients. Not all, but some."

The decision whether someone is eligible to use the service should be made based on individual situations, Williams said.

"The fact of the matter is, some of our clients are also quite elderly and have other disabilities of one form or another and those have to be factored in," Williams said.

"To make a ruling one way or the other based on whether someone is visually impaired or blind is inappropriate on all levels.

"We'd certainly be interested in sitting down with the city and discussing it if they want to have our input."

Fredericton Transit's manager said when the guidelines for the bus service were originally drafted, CNIB was consulted, but didn't feel its clients needed the service.

Zufelt said that was a long time ago and it's time the city refreshed its guidelines.