15 August 2006 – Some 200 passengers-in-wheelchairs (PIWs) have taken free rides on the wheelchair-accessible buses (WABs) of Service 21 since their launch on 24 June 2006.

The month-long promotion, which ended on 31 July 2006, received better-than-expected reception – with many PIWs coming back for repeat rides.

Miss Nurulasyiqah, 21, is one such repeat customer. She has taken WAB rides on with her younger sister on two occasions. She said: “ It was really an exciting experience for me as that was the first time I travelled on public bus. The journey was smooth and the bus captain was helpful.”

The final-year Accountancy student of Singapore Management University said the introduction of WABs was something she had looked forward to and helped her “move around easily”.

Since launch, an average of six PIWs rode on the WAB buses each day, with the majority of the trips made after 7pm - during the off-peak period. The highest number of 17 trips by PIWs was recorded on Saturday, 1 July 2006.

The Service 21 WABs were launched by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) and Second Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, on 26 June 2006. The service was chosen after consultation with Voluntary Welfare Organisations and the Land Transport Authority. It runs past the premises of the Handicaps Welfare Association in Whampoa, enabling its members to gain direct access from major new towns like Pasir Ris, Tampines and Bedok. It also provides connections to Tan Tock Seng Hospital and other medical facilities.

In all, 10 WABs were deployed on the Pasir-Ris-St Michael’s route.

To ensure the safety and comfort of passengers-in-wheelchairs, all Service 21 Bus Captains were trained to operate the wheelchair ramp and to render assistance when needed.

A public education programme, conducted in partnership with the LTA, was also launched to ensure that members of the public are aware of the issues associated with WAB travel. One of the key messages is the need for patience and tolerance on the part of all road users. This is because, the process of boarding and alighting for the PIW will take several minutes given the need to deploy and stow away the ramps.

Members of the public were also requested to make room for the PIWs to manoeuvre their wheelchairs.

Said Ms Nurulasyiqah: “When I was on the bus, it was a bit crowded at the lower deck saloon and there were some commuters standing at the designated parking area for the PIW. When I boarded the bus, these commuters seemed unaware and the bus captain had to ask them nicely to make way for me to park my wheelchair there.”

Bus Captain Seyu Kwang Meng, 30, of Service 21 agreed that this was a problem but added that many commuters were understanding when faced with delays resulting from the boarding and alighting activities of PIWs.

He said: “When I see a PIW wanting to board, I will open the entrance for the other commuters to board first before I attend to the PIW. But on a few occasions, these commuters said they would wait for the PIW to board the bus instead. This is heartwarming indeed and shows that our commuters are very considerate.”