Society of the Disabled Persons Penang president Teh Lay Kuan who was spotted with three other association members at the Komtar terminal, said she decided to try out the new bus service after hearing so much about it.

“The service is satisfactory but I hope the state will keep its promise to have disabled-friendly buses and infrastructure like lower curbs and ramps eventually,” she said.

The Star Metro/North - Thursday, August 02, 2007: Rapid Penang bus grinds to a halt

How can the leader of a disabled persons association say that RapidPenang bus service is satisfactory? None of the buses are accessible to wheelchair users. How can she praise a bus company that said boarding wheelchair users will delay bus schedules? Is she not concerned that the group of people that she represents is being openly marginalized by such exclusion?

How can she commend a bus company that said it needed to do a survey first before serving disabled persons but at the same time is willing to run rural routes to serve non-disabled passengers even if the bus usage is very low? Is she not perturbed that disabled persons are being denied the right to accessible public transport which effectively is denying us the right to freedom of movement?

Is she a disabled person feeling the pain of not being able to move around freely and conveniently? Does she even consider herself a disabled person at all? We can make do without such leaders in the disability movement who are not interested in advocating for an inclusive society. We need more effective leaders who are willing to do more than hoping for the government to keep to its promise.

Is ours a government that cares for the wellbeing of all citizens? I am convinced that they are not. Look at RapidPenang, a 100% government owned company. None of the newly launched RapidPenang buses are accessible. Wheelchair users are left high and dry again.

That was despite several assurances by the top management of RapidKL to the Barrier-Free Environment Accessible Transport Group (BEAT) and the announcement by Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop in the press on March 18, 2007 that RapidPenang’s buses will be “disabled friendly.” Contrary to that none of the buses are “disabled friendly.”

These new buses could be running on the streets of Penang for the next 10 to 15 years. Do disabled persons in Penang have to wait for that long with the hope that the replacement buses will be accessible? Ours is a government that does not make sense. Why continue buying buses that not everyone can use when they are already aware that widely available non-step buses will benefit everyone?

As a wheelchair user who is in dire need of an accessible public transport to move around conveniently and independently, I express my absolute disappointment at the empty promises made by the government and the folks at RapidKL. Ours is a government that does not keep to its words. When the government or its agents make promises but do not fulfil them, is that considered lying? Convince me they are not.

Opinion
Wednesday May 23, 2007

Disabled can’t travel freely

AT THE recently held Forum on Public Transport for Disadvantaged Groups in Penang, State Executive Councillor Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan was quoted in the media as saying that a survey on the needs of the wheelchair-bound would be conducted before RapidPenang can introduce disabled friendly buses for them.

He then went on to say “we must first identify the main areas where wheelchair-bound passengers live and the places they normally travel to.”

The Women’s Centre for Change, Penang (WCC), as one of the organisers to this forum, would like to highlight two basic issues.

The discussion on disabled friendly buses should not focus on the needs of the wheelchair users alone. At the forum, the additional difficulties faced by the visually impaired, the hearing impaired and the intellectually impaired when they use public transport were also voiced.

Hence a more holistic approach to providing barrier-free public transport for all is required. When considering the needs of the disabled, it is not just the bus which needs modification but also the access route/pavement to the bus stop, the bus stop itself and very importantly the attitudes of the bus driver and the conductor (if any).

The comment that “we must first identify the main areas where wheelchair-bound passengers live and the places they normally travel to” suggest that there is no comprehension that a) disabled people live everywhere and b) disabled people may choose to go anywhere.

The state of the public transport in Penang is effectively denying disabled people this right of freedom of movement and hence opportunities to participate in and contribute to society.

It is obvious that those involved in making and implementing policy decisions regarding public transport need to be informed and sensitised regarding the broader issue of disability, the rights of the disabled and independent living.

PREMA DEVARAJ,
Women’s Centre for Change, Penang.

Photo by Wuan.

Basically, my presentation at the Forum on Public Transport for Disadvantaged Groups was to debunk the baseless arguments perpetrated by RapidKL CEO Rein Westra and Penang State Traffic Management Committee Chairman Dato’ Dr. Teng Hock Nan on accessible public transport with regards to wheelchair users.

First fallacy
The roads in Penang are said to be bumpy and are not suitable for non-step buses. It is ironic that we can build one of the best highway network in Asia but we cannot even construct proper roads in the cities. But that is beside the point. This was the same excuse given by RapidKL CEO Rein Westra when BEAT met him in October 20, 2006 which was minuted as follows:

“Christine then asked what would prevent Rapid KL from buying non-step buses from now on. Westra explained that low floor non-step buses were too low to drive on KL roads…..”

Now we have 100 low floor non-step buses all over the Klang Valley. The road condition in the KL is still the same in October last year and now.

Second fallacy
Newspaper report quoted Dr. Teng as saying that:

“The state government will bring in buses equipped with facilities for wheelchair passengers once the new RapidPenang bus system is running smoothly.”
(The Star - April 26, 2007: Buses for disabled later)

How long will it take before the RapidPenang bus system can run smoothly? Six months? One year? Two years? RapidKL has been in operation since 2004 but the system is still far from perfect. What if the bus system is still not running smoothly after ten years?

If you ask bus users in KL, many will tell you that RapidKL is not running smoothly. If you ask RapidKL, they will admit that their bus schedule is still not perfect. RapidKL buses are supposed to run every 15 minutes during peak periods. A lot of times, the interval between buses are between 30 to 45 minutes.

Nevertheless, come June 1, RapidKL will be launching 100 accessible buses in the Klang Valley. Is there anything that RapidKL can do that RapidPenang cannot do? If RapidKL can use accessible buses that includes the needs of disabled persons when their service is still not running smoothly, whey can’t RapidPenang do the same?

Third fallacy
In the same newspaper report, Dr. Teng was also quoted saying as follows:

“…buses with facilities for wheelchair passengers would have to stop longer for boarding and could disrupt arrival schedules.”
(The Star - April 26, 2007: Buses for disabled later)

Accessible buses have come long way from the early days when lifts were fitted to get wheelchairs into high-platform buses. Boarding a passenger on wheelchair with the lift can take up to five minutes. The advancement in bus building technology and design has brought about the proliferation of non-step buses where unassisted boarding time for a wheelchair user was considerably reduced to less than one minute. On May 17, Christine timed herself boarding one of RapidKL’s accessible buses. It took her less than one minute to get into the bus. A well-trained driver can do a four-point strap tiedown in less than one minute. Is a two-minute delay too much? Is it even considered a delay?

Bus schedules can be disrupted by many other factors including weather and traffic conditions, drivers slowing down to have a good look at the number plate of cars involved in accidents so that they can go buy 4D later, buses breaking down and passengers digging their purse for loose change, parents with 5 kids in tow and senior citizens who have mobility problems. Picking up passengers will also delay bus schedules. Wheelchairs users should not be blamed for delays that can be caused by so many of these factors.

To put the blame of bus delays solely on wheelchair users is akin to blaming wheelchair users for slowing down the progress of our country. There is such a thing called reasonable accommodation where if it does not cause undue hardship to others, it should be provided. Is a 2-minute delay considered undue hardship? Many of us have experienced traffic jams that delay our journeys by 30 minutes or more. Who should we blame for the traffic jams?

Fourth Fallacy
Again, I am going to quote Mr. Rein Westra who said he “did not have time to find out what different users needed from buses” because when he took up the position as CEO of RapidKL in 2004, he only had 2 weeks to decide on the type of buses to get. Fair enough.

There is no reason now after so many months of being educated on the needs of disabled persons and wheelchair users, why RapidPenang, which is a subsidiary of RapidKL and shares the same management and technical expertise, is still making the same mistakes that RapidKL made. Looks like bus operators pun mudah lupa. Looks like we have a lot of people who do not know what they are talking about in positions of power.

Public transport must be for all, not only for people who can walk. In fact, disabled persons need transport even more as many of us cannot afford other modes of transport such as taxis. I just got my driving license but given a choice, I would prefer public transport over driving the reason being that I need to transfer into the car and need someone to store my wheelchair in the boot and reverse the process when I reach my destination. With an accessible public transport, I do not need to get off my wheelchair to go anywhere. An accessible public transport is even more crucial for persons with severe physical impairments as they cannot be easily transferred without the assistance of two or more carers. Do we have a government that cares enough to resolve this problem? Sometimes I wonder if we even have a government that cares.

Related entry:
The Star - May 21, 2007: Group: Survey not necessary
NST - May 20, 2007: Disabled want access to buses
Memorandum Regarding Accessible Buses For Disabled Persons To Dato’ Dr Teng Hock Nan
The Star - May 20, 2007: Survey on needs of the wheelchair-bound
Forum on Public Transport for Disadvantaged Groups

PRESS RELEASE, PENANG, 20 MAY 2007

BARRIER-FREE TRANSPORT IS TRANSPORT FOR ALL

On Saturday, a major Forum on Public Transport for Disadvantaged Groups was held at the Complex Masyarakat Penyayang, organised by 10 Penang-based NGOs and with the participation of national speakers and opened by Dr Teng Hock Nan. The 100 participants, from a wide range of disability-related organisations and CEPAT (Citizens for Public Transport), re-affirmed their commitment to Barrier-Free Environment and Accessible Transport for all.

Participants from the forum were pleased to read a statement in Saturday’s Star from State Executive Councillor Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan, that “Even if the headcount is very low, RapidPenang will still service the routes.” Clearly the right to public transport is the only consideration. Given this, we were shocked to read in Sunday Star that people using wheelchairs will not have accessible transport as a right, and that RapidPenang does not intend to introduce wheelchair accessible buses at this time. Dr Teng’s statements are confusing, contradictory and discriminatory: the headcount is clearly irrelevant for all Penang citizens, but used as sole criteria for access to transport for people with disabilities.

We find it outrageous that buses have been purchased which accommodate the needs of the elderly, pregnant women and children, and we are surprised that they need “special seats.” To our knowledge, while priority seats may be identified for people from these categories, they are not especially constructed. At the same time, Dr Teng stated that people with disabilities must wait for a survey before barrier-free transport is introduced. This is a delaying tactic. Forty NGOs in Penang have already made it clear that there is a need, and this is reflected in the Memorandum submitted to Dr Teng at yesterday’s forum.

Even more extraordinary is the statement that Singapore’s transport policy is to be emulated. It took Singapore 20 years to introduce barrier-free buses on 6 routes. It took Rapid KL 8 months to purchase 100 buses to cover 63 trunk routes and 10 city shuttle routes, with more to come. Perhaps Penang should look to KL rather than Singapore.

Although Dr Teng opened the forum, he obviously treated the views of its participants with disdain. People with disabilities have never had access to transport, and have always been deprived of the freedom of movement and opportunities to participate in society and to contribute to the nation.

This press statement is issued for immediate release by Barrier-Free Environment and Accessible Transport Group (BEAT) Coordinator Christine Lee and Assistant Coordinator Peter Tan who were also speakers at the Forum on Public Transport for Disadvantaged Group.