Trial of buses for differently abled held in city

Persons with disabilities were invited to participate in the demonstration to obtain their feedback on the efficacy of the facilities. “Based on their feedback, several design changes are expected to be implemented to make vehicles more accessible and user-friendly,” officials said. The differently-abled friendly bus used in the trial had an electric lift with a ramp fitted for wheelchair users. Some of the participants raised safety concerns while others sought clarifications whether the provisions of low platforms have been made at bus stops for utilising the facilities.

The trial was followed by a consultation with few differently-abled participants who recommended modifications. Discussions were also held to decide on possible routes in which the buses could be operated.

“The differently-abled friendly buses have been ordered after a court order that mandated us to provide accessibility. Once the facilities are accepted, several buses will be built with similar facilities,” an MTC official said. Electric lifts in the earlier used differently-abled friendly buses would take nearly ten minutes to operate. However, the new buses would take only less than three minutes. “Feedback from differently-abled persons will be collected and forwarded to the transport department,” Director for Welfare of the Differently-abled Johny Tom Verghese said.

Meanwhile, S Namburajan, State General Secretary of Tamil Nadu Association for the Rights of All Types of Differently- abled and Caregivers said that the association boycotted the demonstration as the government had failed to collect feedback before building the buses. “They already ordered 70 buses to be used across the State. As the work orders were issued, there is no chance of implementing our suggestion,” he added.