PUNE: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has come out with amendments in the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, instructing all to include disabled-friendly features in buses.
The amendment provides priority for seats, signs, securing of crutches/ canes/ walkers, handrail/ stanchions, controls at seats and wheelchair entry/ housing/ locking arrangement for wheelchair for the physically disabled persons. Such facilities for differently abled passengers or passengers with reduced mobility will be checked and ensured at the time of fitness inspection for buses, stated the notification issued on Monday.
The notification was issued after duly considering the objections and suggestions received from the public in respect of the draft rules. The amendment will be effective from March 1, 2020 onwards.
Universal design specialist and government recognised auditor Kavita Muroogakar said, “Not only buses, but also bus stops need modifications. The design of bus stops and buses needs to be synced. For example the floor of the bus and bus stop have to match each other for smooth transition. The government bodies like Road Department, PMPML, Pune Municipal Corporation have to work collaboratively for smooth functioning.”
“Another point is, it is always assumed that differently abled persons use wheelchairs only. What about visually or hearing or speech impaired persons, those with cognitive disability? For instance, do we have the infrastructure that will help visually impaired identify which bus will arrive or where is the bus stop located? There has to be a holistic approach while developing the infrastructure. We need identical bus stops and not different designed ones which makes it all the more difficult for them to access it,” said Muroogakar.
“The government bodies should consult the experts before designing or finalising buses and not after purchasing them. At present, Pune bus facilities aren’t equipped for differently abled persons,” she added.