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Taking the public transport is part and parcel of live. Many of us take the subway to work, or take the bus to school. Some of us might prefer the luxury of a taxi, or some might choose to drive their own car. Whatever it is, in this day and age, humans depend so much on transport that it is inevitable we commute around in one form of mechanical transport or another.

The wheelchair bound cannot be deprived of this necessity just because of their misfortune. However, the problem of public transport facilities being wheelchair unfriendly is still common, especially in the less developed countries.

Buses

Buses have steps at entrances and exits which automatically prohibits a wheelchair from boarding the bus. Even if somehow someone manages to carry the loaded wheelchair on board, stingily narrowed aisles make it impossible for a wheelchair to even fit on the bus.

Trains

The gap between the train and platform is also problem for the wheelchair bound as they have to reverse their way onto the train or the front caster wheels may get caught, making it difficult to push the wheelchair forward. While reversing in, they have to turn their heads to keep a lookout or risk crashing into other commuters, a rather embarrassing thing to happen indeed. Furthermore, having to smell the butts of the rush-hour crowd makes traveling on the train more distasteful for the wheelchair bound. At that height and when the PA system fails to overpower the noise of the crowd, it is sometimes difficult for the wheelchair bound to track the progress of his travel.

Taxis

Not all public transport systems have a ready fleet of well equipped maxi cabs. Maxi cabs are equipped in the sense that seats are foldable and that the driver has the knowledge on how to deal with wheelchair bound passengers. The number of maxi cabs circulating on the roads is an issue too as too few of them would mean trouble getting one when a wheelchair bound person needs it.

Airplanes

The wheelchair bound passenger has to transfer themselves onto customized airplane wheelchairs before boarding the plane. As aisles on planes are narrow, the width of the wheelchair shrinks too, make it uncomfortable for bigger sized passengers to squeeze into.

Plane lavatories are small and definitely not wheelchair friendly. Therefore, wheelchair bound passengers have to plan their water intake and restroom visits or urine bags before their flight if they were to fly long hours. Once again, it is a problem of inconvenience.

Public Transport Infrastructure

Subway stations and bus stops form part of public transport and making them wheelchair friendly is as important as making the vehicles wheelchair friendly.

Subway stations

Accessing underground or aboveground stations is not much of a problem for able bodied commuters as they can climb stairs or ride the escalator with much ease. However, stairs and escalators are absolute barriers to wheelchairs. Narrow fare gates, public telephones that are too high and wheelchair unfriendly toilets are also obstacles that can make a wheelchair bound’s trip inconvenient even if other major improvements (i.e. lifts and ramps) are made.

Lifts grant the wheelchair bound entry to subway stations and though lifts may be installed at stations, the problem may not be totally resolved. Looking at the map below, it can be seen that there is only one lift at one of the entrances of the station. In such cases, the wheelchair bound may have to cross roads, conquer ramps or push long distances to get to the other exit where the lift is.

 

Bus Stops

Not all bus stops are built to accommodate many people. In this case, the shelter of the bus stop is used to determine its size. The main problem the wheelchair bound face is the amount of space they have to maneuver their wheelchair. Bus stops are usually equipped with seats, dustbins or even large advertisement display panels. Add in the occasional crowd at bus stops and one can imagine the difficulty wheelchair bound commuters face when they move around. It is worse when crowds pour in and the wheelchair bound struggle to make way for himself and at the same time, for the others so that he does not block the way and inconvenience them. Bus stop picture (crowded and not crowded)

The worst situation would be when rain starts to pour. As people and rush to the bus stop to take shelter, the wheelchair bound would find it almost impossible to fit in under the shelter, leaving him to get wet, embarrassed and frustrated.

 

Surrounding Public Transport Facilities

On a macro scale, if the area surrounding subway stations or bus stops (i.e. 400m radius) is unfriendly, it would simply deem the wheelchair friendly facilities at the station useless. It is similar for the public vehicles and their companying infrastructure (stations and bus stops). Efforts that are incomplete will not bring about many benefits.