Driver's shocking behaviour towards disabled son
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Apr 9, 2011 - ST Forum
MY SON, 17, has cerebral palsy and walks with the aid of a walking frame. He and his friend decided to take a bus from Promenade MRT station to Marina Bay Sands on the evening of March 25.
When they saw a bus ramp and an external service button on SBS bus service 133, they flagged for it. When the bus came to a halt, my son's friend proceeded to lower the ramp as he had done on several occasions on Wheelchair Accessible Buses (WAB).
But the bus driver got off his seat, approached the boys and berated them. He was angry that my son's friend had not informed him first. Further to the humiliation from the scolding, the boys were told to get off the bus.
My son, who was already seated by this time, had no choice but to leave the bus. They walked to their destination, a more than half an hour's journey for my son who walks with difficulty.
Subsequently, I called SBS for an explanation.
It was understandable that the boys had mistaken service 133 for a WAB bus, given the presence of a ramp at the side of the bus. But was it necessary for the driver to berate and order them off the bus? Is the driver trained to handle non-routine matters? And why is there an accessible ramp on the bus that remains unused?
The customer service staff, although pleasant and helpful, could not satisfactorily answer my questions.
I was told that as service 133 is not a WAB, the driver should have declined to pick up my son. Does that mean that the driver should just drive past disabled persons, whether in wheelchairs or otherwise? And if that were so, might these passengers not assume the driver had missed them and continue waiting for the next bus, only to have the next driver repeat the practice?
Second, I was told that all new buses are equipped with accessible ramps. That however, does not mean that the buses are WABs. What puzzles me is that since buses are already equipped with ramps, why does SBS not use them? The explanation given is that they are in the process of making all bus stops accessible.
I feel a deeper discussion on public bus accessibility is needed and I look forward to handicap- and family-accessible bus services that can benefit all. We are making steps in the right direction; the debate should be about how much more, and how much faster we should do this.
Hilda Sankar (Mrs)
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No use buying buses that are fitted with Wheelchair-like purpose, and not letting people with physical disabilities board, Then what's the use of buying?
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for squeezing lor.
