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Private buses on all routes will soon display a helpline number where passengers with disability can call in case of harassment. More than 100 buses in south Calcutta have already got stickers, urging drivers, conductors and passengers to be sensitive towards the needs of persons with disabilities. Buses on other routes will get theirs soon. Tapan Bandopadhyay, the joint secretary of the Joint Council of Bus Syndicates, promised complete support in making public transport in the city disabled-friendly. "We are working hard towards making our buses more comfortable for all, especially for persons with disability," he said at a press conference organised by the Ankur Advocacy Group of the Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy (IICP) and Parivaar Bengal on Wednesday. Come September, workshops will be held to sensitise drivers and conductors. "They will be told how to behave with passengers with special needs and not to rush them under any circumstances. We plan to meet IICP representatives once a month to get their side of the story. That will help bring in change," Bandopadhyay said. Chiranjeeb Saha, a trainee in the tea-packing unit of IICP, was pushed out of a bus by the conductor last month. Chiranjeeb lost consciousness for a while and suffered injuries in his shoulders, face and arms. "I felt very insulted too," he said on Wednesday. Ankur Advocacy Group representatives, led by Jeeja Ghosh and Den Mukherjee, placed before the council a 12-point charter of demands. They hope to approach government officials soon. Some of the demands include allowing a person with disability more time to board or get off a bus; help from the conductor if needed, steps of the bus should be made as low as possible and have grab bars for support; setting up of a grievance cell and waiving of fares in long-distance buses. "The council has joined hands with us to improve public transport service. There is need for written guidelines and we are open to negotiation with the government but on our part we will ensure the movement does not lose steam," said Den. Both Den and Jeeja stressed the need for awareness. "I have myself been at the receiving end of rude drivers. I am hopeful things will get better in future," Jeeja said. Reena Sen, the executive director of IICP, agreed. "This is at least a positive step towards better mobility people with disability." Bus helpline numbers: 9748174610 (central), 9836741314 (north), 9830031562 (south). Share on email <http://www.telegraphindia.com/1150813/jsp/calcutta/story_36982.jsp#> Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
