In response to proposals from the Disability Research and Capacity Development Center (DRD), the Ho Chi Minh City Public Passenger Transport Management and Operation Centre has renovated some bus shelters and ramps for getting on and off buses, to help people with disabilities use buses more easily.
A legitimate need
In recent years, Ho Chi Minh City has paid great attention to improving the quality of bus services to attract people to use them, in order to limit private vehicles that cause traffic congestion. However, wheelchair users, who very much need to travel by bus, find it very difficult to get on and off buses.
In the press and on social media forums, many people with disabilities have spoken out about the disadvantages of buses. They are frustrated at being left behind at bus stops because there is no one to help them and no ramp for wheelchairs to get on and off. Some drivers, seeing a wheelchair user, even skip the stop altogether.
Mr Ha Duy Khanh (living in Tan Phu district) said: “I study at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities and travel on a three-wheeled motorbike. I do not take the bus, but I often hear wheelchair users complain that buses do not support people with disabilities in getting around, so to find out the truth, I spent a whole two months of summer experiencing bus travel. From my home to my university there are 11 bus stops, and over 2 months I patiently waited for buses but never once managed to get on one. Seeing me, the conductor would just look through the window and say there was no ramp, and then the bus would speed away”.
Faced with this reality, after surveying and gathering the views of people with disabilities, in 2015 the DRD proposed that the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport come up with a plan to support people with disabilities travelling by bus. In early 2017, Ho Chi Minh City invested in a number of low-floor buses, fitted with extra steel plates; at the same time, some bus shelters had their pavements renovated with slopes so that wheelchairs could get on and off buses more easily.
Ms Nguyen Thi Luu (living in District 3) shared: “Before, I had to use a wheelchair to go to school, so outside school hours I could not go anywhere. Many times, watching buses go past, I wished I could get on one to make it less hard work pushing my wheelchair, not worry about being late, and not suffer in the rain and sun, dust and smoke, and the risk of traffic accidents. Since buses were renovated to serve people with disabilities, I only have to push my wheelchair from home to 23 September Park and then get on a bus. I feel more comfortable and more confident in life”.
Ms Luu Thi Anh Loan, Acting Director of the DRD, said: “We spent a great deal of time researching and proposing specific solutions to the relevant authorities to support people with disabilities in integrating into the community, first of all by supporting travel for daily life and study. We are delighted that Ho Chi Minh City and the Department of Transport have begun renovating bus stops to suit people with disabilities”.
Renovating shelters and buses to suit
Mr Ha Le An, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Public Passenger Transport Management and Operation Centre, said: “At present, there are a total of 4,000 bus stops in the city, including 500 shelters. However, only 166 shelters have access for people with disabilities; of these, 67 meet the standards, while 99 do not yet meet the standards and need to be fixed. For the remaining 334 shelters, the centre is waiting for funding to replace and renovate access for people with disabilities. Technically, the centre has lowered pavements to create access ramps with a gradient of no more than 15 degrees”.
Recently, at the 23 September Park bus station, 8 ramps for people with disabilities to get on and off buses were renovated in accordance with the national technical regulations on building construction to ensure access and use by people with disabilities. In addition to the gradient and width of the ramps, these 8 ramps also have railings and handrails. The renovation of 166 bus shelters in Ho Chi Minh City and the construction of these 8 ramps for getting on and off buses received positive feedback from people with disabilities.
The DRD has now submitted to the Department of Transport a proposal to allocate funding to create ramps for people with disabilities at 416 bus shelters, including building 317 new ones and renovating 99, expected to be completed in 2017, helping to improve service quality, especially to make buses useful for people with disabilities. The Department of Transport has also issued more than 11,000 free bus cards, replacing vehicles such as the investment in 300 low-floor CNG buses (2014-2017) suitable for people with disabilities.
THU HUONG -http://www.sggp.org.vn