Transport corpns miss target, not 1 bus in state is completely disabled-friendly

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) had fixed March 31 as the deadline for making at least 25 per cent of the fleet operated by State transport corporations accessible to differently abled passengers. Four months later, not one bus in Tamil Nadu is completely disabled-friendly and only 10 have ramps, which is one of the main requirements.

Among the State-run transport corporations, the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporations of Villupuram, Kumbakonam, Coimbatore, Madurai, Salem and Tirunelveli, which together operate 17,450 buses, and State Express Transport Corporation that has 1185 buses in the fleet do not have even a single disabled-friendly bus.

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) claims to be best performing in this regard, supposedly achieving 22.91 per cent accessibility. According to MoRTH data released recently, of the 3,679 buses operated by the MTC, 843 buses are accessible. But, in a submission made to the Madras High Court in January, MTC had claimed that 24.42 per cent of its buses are disabled friendly.

Keeping the disparity in MTC’s claims aside, disability rights activists strongly contest that even one bus in the state is disabled-friendly as none of them have all the features — mandated by the Supreme Court — required to call a bus “disabled-friendly”.

Advocate L Muruganantham, who had filed a public interest litigation in the Madras High Court on the disabled people welfare, said the Supreme Court had passed an order in December 2017 directing the Centre and State to ensure 10 per cent of the government owned public transport carriers to be made fully accessible by March 2018 in accordance with the Harmonised Guidelines approved by the Supreme Court.

As per Harmonised Guidelines and Space Standards for Barrier-Free Built Environment for Persons with Disability and Elderly Persons, accessible buses should have features like bus doors that are at least 1,200 mm wide, low floor, handrail and footlight, and they should have apparatus such as a hydraulic lift or pull-out/foldable ramp installed in the doorway for mobility aided users and prams.

“Space for a wheelchair should be provided in an appropriate position, without obstructing other passengers from getting on and off the vehicle. The location of that space should be indicated, inside and outside the bus, using the standard symbol for wheelchair accessibility. Also, wheel stoppers and wheelchair safety belts should be provided. Besides, the bus should have alighting buzzers and information signs,” Muruganantham said.

The advocate, however, noted, that the transport corporations claim that their buses are disabled friendly just because it has fixed the audio alert system, buzzer with switch (Alarm Fitted Vehicle) and even stick holding ring. “MTC has claimed in the High Court that 24.42 per cent of its buses are accessible by taking into account 410 buses which were fitted with stick holding ring, even though the ring fitting by itself is not an accessibility component,” Muruganantham said, noting that none of the new buses introduced by the MTC and other transport corporations this year were disabled-friendly in accordance with the Harmonised Guidelines.

Responding to this, a senior Transport Department official said that the existing fleet of buses cannot be made disabled-friendly. “As the existing buses require major structural changes in design, it is not technically feasible or economically viable to make special provision for the differently abled in the existing fleet,” he said. “MTC is planning to introduce new buses with facilities for the disabled to travel with their wheelchairs,” the official added.

On December 3, 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the Accessible India Campaign. As part of this, the MoRTH had convened a meeting of secretaries of the Transport Departments of all the States and the Union Territories in April last year, where it was decided that 25 per cent of government-owned public transport vehicles should be made fully accessible by March 2019. Other directions also included making all bus stops, terminals and ports accessible.

In the advisory issued to the State Transport Undertakings (STUs), MoRTH has insisted that all buses should have seats with priority signs for easy access for disabled passengers, railings, handrails, walkers, support bars, etc.

“Sufficient number of wheelchairs for differently-abled passengers may be made available at all bus ports and terminals. Properly visible and marked space be made available at all bus stops, ports and terminals,” the advisory stated, adding that audio-visual information systems for visually and hearing-impaired passengers along with emergency button provision should be provided at the seat designated for disabled in the buses.