Posted on 22 Jan, 2009 13:07
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=530 align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>'Inconsiderate auntie takes up my wheelchair slot with trolley bag'
STOMPer Kesuma is a wheelchair-bound commuter who takes the bus to work. However, the STOMPer was shocked to encounter an inconsiderate auntie who had occupied the wheelchair slot with her trolley bag.
When told to move her things, the auntie did not do so and even strapped her bag to the handle meant for wheelchair-bound passengers.
Kesuma hopes that able-bodied commuters will spare a thought for physically disabled people and respect the space that has been reserved for them.
In an e-mail dated January 22, she says:
“On the morning of January 16, as per normal, I hailed for a Wheelchair Accessible Bus (WAB) to get to my office. As I am a physically disabled, my main mobility equipment is the wheelchair and I required the WAB service.
“The bus came & the Bus Captain was professional enough is to assist me with boarding the bus.
“Suddenly, there is this auntie (with a luggage bag tied to a trolley) who got stuck at the bus entrance. Another passenger helped with the trolley and luggage bag.
“Once the auntie boarded the bus, she immediately placed her luggage bag and trolley at the handicap slot. The Bus Captain saw it and informed her that the bag needed to be removed as I needed the slot. She ignored the driver and took a seat at the priority seat.
“The other passengers that occupied my slot automatically gave way for me.
“As I do not want to waste my time and other people's time, I wheeled in and parked in front of the luggage bag. That is how I managed to take a few shots of it.
“I just prayed that the Bus Captain would not perform an 'emergency break' as I would overturn and hurt my spine again.
“I turned around and looked at the auntie and she even acted as if she had done nothing wrong. I just sighed and shook my head.
“If she really felt guilty for placing her things there she would have removed it after she noticed me. But instead, she just sat there and looked at me hoping that I would not spoil her bag. And so I just held on tight to the handle bar provided, just like a child afraid to fall down in the bus.
“That was not all. As the Bus Captain drove on, he needed to make a turn, and this really made me angry because the auntie’s luggage and trolley fell down sideways.
“What she did next made me so irritated and pissed off. She quickly picked her luggage and trolley up and trapped the bag to the handle bar provided for wheelchair users. I was completely speechless, angry and disappointed.
“I was lucky enough that I was able to hold on tight to the handle bar. What if I was a wheelchair user who was not strong enough and needed the handle bar as well as the backrest to prevent myself from falling?
“When I was about to alight from the WAB, I told the Bus Captain that this wheelchair slot might as well be changed into a trolley and luggage slot. The Bus Captain laughed.
“It is not that he did not ask the auntie to remove the bag. He already did.
“I was truly happy when the WAB Services were launched as they have lessen our financial difficulties and made us truly independent. I hope that people will understand the needs and requirements of wheelchair users like us when in the WAB.”
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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=530 align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>'Inconsiderate auntie takes up my wheelchair slot with trolley bag'
STOMPer Kesuma is a wheelchair-bound commuter who takes the bus to work. However, the STOMPer was shocked to encounter an inconsiderate auntie who had occupied the wheelchair slot with her trolley bag.
When told to move her things, the auntie did not do so and even strapped her bag to the handle meant for wheelchair-bound passengers.
Kesuma hopes that able-bodied commuters will spare a thought for physically disabled people and respect the space that has been reserved for them.
In an e-mail dated January 22, she says:
“On the morning of January 16, as per normal, I hailed for a Wheelchair Accessible Bus (WAB) to get to my office. As I am a physically disabled, my main mobility equipment is the wheelchair and I required the WAB service.
“The bus came & the Bus Captain was professional enough is to assist me with boarding the bus.
“Suddenly, there is this auntie (with a luggage bag tied to a trolley) who got stuck at the bus entrance. Another passenger helped with the trolley and luggage bag.
“Once the auntie boarded the bus, she immediately placed her luggage bag and trolley at the handicap slot. The Bus Captain saw it and informed her that the bag needed to be removed as I needed the slot. She ignored the driver and took a seat at the priority seat.
“The other passengers that occupied my slot automatically gave way for me.
“As I do not want to waste my time and other people's time, I wheeled in and parked in front of the luggage bag. That is how I managed to take a few shots of it.
“I just prayed that the Bus Captain would not perform an 'emergency break' as I would overturn and hurt my spine again.
“I turned around and looked at the auntie and she even acted as if she had done nothing wrong. I just sighed and shook my head.
“If she really felt guilty for placing her things there she would have removed it after she noticed me. But instead, she just sat there and looked at me hoping that I would not spoil her bag. And so I just held on tight to the handle bar provided, just like a child afraid to fall down in the bus.
“That was not all. As the Bus Captain drove on, he needed to make a turn, and this really made me angry because the auntie’s luggage and trolley fell down sideways.
“What she did next made me so irritated and pissed off. She quickly picked her luggage and trolley up and trapped the bag to the handle bar provided for wheelchair users. I was completely speechless, angry and disappointed.
“I was lucky enough that I was able to hold on tight to the handle bar. What if I was a wheelchair user who was not strong enough and needed the handle bar as well as the backrest to prevent myself from falling?
“When I was about to alight from the WAB, I told the Bus Captain that this wheelchair slot might as well be changed into a trolley and luggage slot. The Bus Captain laughed.
“It is not that he did not ask the auntie to remove the bag. He already did.
“I was truly happy when the WAB Services were launched as they have lessen our financial difficulties and made us truly independent. I hope that people will understand the needs and requirements of wheelchair users like us when in the WAB.”
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