THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In January 2018, the Kerala Urban Road Transport Corporation (KURTC)-run low-floor buses had removed facilities to lock in the wheelchairs of the differently-abled community in their buses. The road transport authorities instead added more seats in the space allotted for wheelchairs, citing that the rush of passengers during peak hours made it difficult to keep dedicated spaces for wheelchair users. Additionally, wheelchair ramps were also removed.
This had angered the differently-abled community who had planned to protest. After MLA John Fernandez raised the issue in the Assembly, an order to bring back the facility to keep wheelchairs in low-floor buses was recently approved by Transport Minister A K Saseendran.“Commuting is a problem faced by most of the wheelchair users. Removal of the facility had posed difficulty to the differently-abled. Facilities for wheelchair users should also be implemented in private buses too,” said John.
The wheelchair users are relieved that their voices were finally heeded to. The first complaint was registered on October 20, 2018, by the All Kerala Wheelchair Rights Federation (AKWRF) authorities demanding the restoration of facilities. In November 2018, complaints were lodged with the Transport Minister directly and to his office.
Another complaint was filed to Tomin Thachankery, former managing director of KSRTC. “Most of the wheelchair users rely on low-floor buses for commuting. By making the buses inaccessible, the authorities were denying the rights of the differently-abled community. Bringing back the facility will now help wheelchair users to lock in their wheelchairs and travel comfortably,” said Rajeev Palluruthy, secretary, AKWRF.