Singapore — A member of the public took to Facebook to complain about a woman’s refusal to make space for a wheelchair user during a bus commute.
The netizen posted about what he witnessed in a Facebook group known as “Complaint Singapore” on Friday afternoon (Aug 13).
According to his post, the woman had boarded bus 805, which operates from Yishun Bus Interchange and loops at Yishun Avenue 1.
The Bus Captain attempted to persuade the woman to make space for a wheelchair user who boarded the bus, telling her “Hi Madam, you need to give this place to wheelchair (users).”
However, despite the Bus Captain’s urges, the woman refused to fold up her stroller to make space for the wheelchair user.
She also allegedly told the bus captain that she had boarded the bus and parked her stroller at the wheelchair bay first, and questioned why she had to give the spot to the person on the wheelchair.
A sticker at the wheelchair bay indicated that caregivers could indeed place the strollers in the wheelchair area, given that the child was being supervised, and the stroller was held on to at all times.
However, strollers should be folded such that people in wheelchairs could be prioritized and use the wheelchair bay when they board the bus.
According to SBS Transit’s website, the Bus Captain can request passengers with strollers that are already occupying the designated wheelchair bay to make space for the wheelchair by folding up the stroller.
If a bus is crowded when it reaches a bus stop or bus interchange, the Bus Captain can also request parents and caregivers who are boarding the bus to fold their strollers.
Alternatively, parents and caregivers are advised to wait for the next bus. However, if the bus grows crowded only after the parent or caregiver had already boarded with an open stroller, the stroller will not need to be folded in such a case.
You Zi Xuan is an intern at The Independent SG. /TISG