I did say this series would be irregular! You can find the first post in this series here. I will update this post with links to the other posts as I create them. You can also keep an eye on my list of series to see when posts get added to this series.
As is no doubt apparent from the title, this post addresses mobility accessibility on Sydney buses.
Signs in mobility accessible spaces
I’d like to start off by considering this sign:
I suspect the problems I see with this sign says a lot about Sydney Buses’ attitude towards people with different mobilities.
The main problem is its language. First, it completely ignores the fact that when there is a wheelchair on the bus, there is usually a person using that wheelchair. It does this in two ways. First, it talks about “wheelchairs” rather than “wheelchir users” (eg “wheelchairs must face the rear”). This may be explicable on the basis that in general, sign design requires the use of as few words as possible. Perhaps (some) users of wheelchairs don’t actually care. Possibly many such people don’t bother reading the signs anyway.
Secondly, and more egregiously to my mind, the sign differentiates “passenger” from “wheelchair” (ie “This area should be vacated by passengers when required for a wheelchair”). This suggests that a person who uses a wheelchair isn’t a passenger. That the sign needed to be shortened is no excuse. It would be shorter to say: “Wheelchair users have preference in this space”, or something to that effect.
I have a similar problem with the standard “please vacate this seat for …” signs. It seems to address all passengers except the passengers who may actually need the seat, thus normalising the idea of a temporarily able bodied person as passenger. But that’s still better than “Passengers must vacate …”, because the “Please vacate” can at least be interpreted as addressing the person reading it, asking that individual to give the seat up to another individual who needs it more. (I have problems with that, too: how do you decide who needs it more? especially: what about people who have invisible disabilities?)
Which bus can you catch?
I’ve argued before that we can only have equality when we have an equal range of choices. That applies to my next problem with mobility accessibility on Sydney’s buses: many of them are, quite simply, inaccessible to a person who uses a wheelchair. They can also be quite inaccessible for a person who walks, but who has trouble with steps.
Many of the buses have steps only. I should say that all the new buses I’ve seen are wheelchair accessible, and for that, I give some kudos to Sydney Buses. However, there are still a lot of older buses in circulation – and there are still problems with the wheelchair accessible buses, which I’ll come to in a minute.
Let’s take a look at a Sydney bus timetable. Here’s an example.
Before we get to the buses specifically, I have some issues with this page. First, towards the top, it has this accessibility info:
It appears to state that ‘all services’ are accessible. But accessible to what? You can see that the route number sometimes has a super-script ‘1’. The notes at the bottom of the page state that the ‘1’ means that the bus is wheelchair accessible. And I can tell you from experience that the other services often have steps. Further, if you click the hyperlinked words ‘What is easy access / wheelchair accessible?’, you get taken to the timetable search form. If you click the ‘Easy access only’ button, no services are shown.
I think the issues with all of that should be pretty clear!
Now, the buses themselves. The fact that some of the buses are specified as being accessible should mean they’ve dedicated one of the newer buses to that route. I’m not sure how guaranteed that is, but I suspect there is an element of chance involved. I can’t say for sure because I just haven’t had to figure it out, but the buses seem rarely to run to the timetable anyway, and it can be difficult to know whether the bus you’re on is running late or early. For that reason, I imagine it would be quite frustrating if you were relying on coming across an accessible bus. Even turning up before the timetabled time won’t guarantee that the supposedly accessible bus will arrive soon – it might be running 20 minutes late, and/or it might be full, etc etc. If you want to get somewhere at a particular time, you might have to factor in quite a lot of leeway – which could result in you wasting quite a lot of your time.
If all of the buses were accessible to wheelchairs, then wheelchair users would have no more difficulty in this regard than other passengers.
Getting on the bus
Even once you’ve flagged down your wheelchair-accessible bus, you have another problem: getting on the supposedly accessible bus.
This is what needs to happen for a wheelchair user to board a bus in hir wheelchair:
(1) The driver has to pull up so that the bus is not too far from the kerb, and the bus door isn’t blocked by a bus stop sign, rubbish bin, pole or seat.
(2) Non-wheelchair users crowd the bus door.
(3) The driver opens the door, sets the hydraulics in the bus so that it “kneels” (as my grandmother used to put it). Sie then gets out of hir seat and chases away the non-wheelchair users from the door so that sie can pull up the wheelchair ramp that sits in the floor just inside the door and flips it up so that it rests on the footpath (hopefully with not too steep a slope).
(4) The wheelchair user boards the bus.
(5) Non-wheelchair users must then be chased away from one of the designated wheelchair areas, and the area between that space and the door.
(6) The bus driver puts the ramp back into its usual position and gets back in hir seat.
(7) Other passengers can then board the bus.
All of this takes time – and has to happen in reverse when the wheelchair user wants to disembark. When the bus is running late anyway, this can be problematic.
It is worth noting that step (4) is usually the quickest step, so the time it takes can’t be blamed on the wheelchair users. Rather, it must be blamed on: (1) a ridiculous non-automated system, and (2) rude non-wheelchair users who crowd around and get in the way of the driver and the wheelchair user.
I have seen some wheelchair users who obviously have a considerable amount of strength (and relatively light wheelchairs) just jump their wheelchairs onto the bus. This is obviously not an option for many people.
I also wonder what happens when the bus stops at a roadway with no kerb. The ramp in a place like that would be considerably steeper. Maybe it’s a moot point: such a bus stop may not be accessible in any case. That is another issue all on its own.
How many wheelchair users are there in Sydney?
And, of course, even when you, as a wheelchair user, can catch and board the bus, there’s the problem that there are only two wheelchair-designated areas on each accessible bus. These areas are also available for people with prams (and I see people with prams using them much more than I see wheelchair users using them) – and it simply wouldn’t be safe for a wheelchair user to be seated in a wheelchair in any other part of the bus. This, to me, is bad design: why can’t there be more multi-functional areas? Some may say: well, it’s rare that there are more than two wheelchair users on a bus at the same time. I say: maybe that’s because many wheelchair users don’t catch the buses, because of the accessibility problems. Once again, I see accessibility as providing an equal range of choice.
Let’s have a discussion!
As with the first post, I don’t have any complex conclusions on this, other than “if you use a wheelchair, trying to get around using Sydney buses would suck”.
Here are my suggested improvements:
(1) More accessible buses, and better reliability in relation to whether a bus at a scheduled time will be accessible.
(2) Less patronising signage!
What else?
As well as your thoughts and comments, I’m quite curious to hear your stories (either in Sydney or elsewhere).
In my last accessibility post, steph made this comment about mobility accessibility in Melbourne:
I know Yarra Trams is trying to fix this, but a huge number of trams are not accessible at all for people who have difficulty with steps – a large amount of trams in Melbourne have (I think) three steps up. Some (but not all) buses have a similar issue.
Ariane made this comment about mobility accessibility on Sydney’s light rail:
As far as I have seen, all the platforms have an accessible approaches of some sort, although some are rather long ramps. Then again, a long ramp is probably better than getting to a station to find the lift is broken and you have no means of getting off the platform. This happens with disturbing regularity at Ashfield station.
Please keep in mind that this post is specifically about mobility accessibility. (I may write another post on mobility accessibility on other forms of public transport in Sydney later, but I may not. In any case, comments about mobility accessibility on non-bus forms of transport are welcome.) As before, I will cover other accessibility issues on Sydney public transport in posts to come (and will update here with links). If you want to tell me about any accessibility issues which are not directly related to those in this post, or if you want to make sure I cover something, please email me at my gmail address, where I use the name displayed here as my handle, in the format lastname dot first name.
Hi there,
I blogged on this issue (broadly) in relation to Melbourne for the May Blogging Against Disablism Day 2010. (Which reminds me, must fix the graphic on that post).
As I said then (in relation to the “please vacate” signs),
“This sign means that those who have disabilities, visible or invisible, often have to ask a complete stranger to give up their seat. This puts that stranger in a powerful positions of judging whether or not the person asking is sufficiently disabled for them to give up their seat. I have friends with disabilities who avoid travelling during peak hour because they don’t have the spoons to argue with someone about their need for that seat.”
Wheelchair users in Melbourne, in relation to trams, can board some trams (low floor trams) but only at “super stops”, which are above road height. Otherwise boarding a tram with any wheeled device is very difficult.
Buses in Melbourne are much like the ones in Sydney in my experience.
Re the power of the already-seated non-wheelchair-using passenger: yes, indeed. I forgot to put that in, so thanks for raising it.
Can you please post a direct link to your post? I am in the process of cross-posting this series to Hoyden About Town, and I’d love to include a link to your post when I do that, as well as in the comments here.
Sure, direct link:
http://blogs.bluebec.com/public-transport-and-disability-in-melbourne/
[…] public transport. I will update this post with links to the other posts as I create them. The second post is here. You can also keep an eye on my list of series to see when posts get added to this […]
Also pretty much ignored in public conversations about accessible buses and trains is that fact that many, most or all mobility scooter users are not accommodated or are outright banned. Many mobility scooter users cannot use a manual wheelchair and cannot afford a powerchair (I’m in this category), leaving us completely high and dry when it comes to public transport.
lauredhel, thanks for the comment. And my apologies for also overlooking that fact in writing this post. It’s actually something I’ve contemplated and wondered about (especially as I’ve never seen a scooter on a Sydney bus), and I really should have thought about it in relation to this post.
What I think could address this issue, and the lack of space generally, and the fact that people standing in the doorway generally get in the way, could be to have a large door (with automatic ramp!) in the middle of the bus, with a large open area on either side of the door that could accommodate a number of wheelchairs and scooters.
In Sydney, this would have been impractical for a long time, because many people bought tickets on the bus. However, pre-paid tickets are now being encouraged (all stops in the city and in many other places are now pre-pay only between 7 am and 7 pm on weekdays, and some routes are pre-pay only – of course, this raises other accessibility issues, too!), so more people are using them – so you could simply have a pre-pay machine near the middle door. (This would also reduce boarding time generally – as is the case in other cities.)
A system like this would reduce any communication between a wheelchair user or scooter user and the driver, which could cause other accessibility problems. BUT if you retained the current system (so at least some wheelchair users could board through the front door), it would still be better than the current system (ie where scooter users can’t board at all).
Regarding the State Transit Sydney bus fleet.
In the last year the size of the STA fleet has grown from about 1700 to about 2100- this about equals the number of non-accessible buses left in the fleet. So it MIGHT be that if there had been no fleet growth there would be no high floor buses left.
The automated ramp proved to be a distinct problem for the maintenance fleet and many were not working with the result that a decision was made to go over to manual ramps.
Regarding the boarding and alighting – I’ve developed a habit on crowded buses of calling out before my stop “if you are not getting out move to the rear” When people don’t move I use my chair to force them out the front door.
Tony Bailey
Editor
Transit Australia
http://www.transitaustralia.com.au
Further comment after reading the comments – There are not enough ticket validators as they have not been manufactured for years – many second hand ones were purchased from Brisbane after the introduction of the go card. More may soon be available from Melbourne.
They will be replaces when the Sydney Smart card finally turns up.
I understand that the intention then may be to introduce all door boarding as another speed up mechanism.
BTW – I’ve been the third wheelchair on a Sydney Bus.
Tony Bailey
Hi Tony
Thanks for your comments. I didn’t realise the number of non-accessible buses was such a small proportion of the fleet – I guess there’s hope yet!
(One other thing I didn’t mention is that there are some routes which seem to get mostly accessible buses, and other routes which seem to get mostly, or entirely, inaccessible buses. I have no idea what the logic behind this is.)
Re automated ramps: I admit that “will it work” was in my mind as I wrote that comment. However, I still think they need a system which takes less time, especially given the push to reduce boarding times (eg with pre-paid tickets) generally.
I take your point about ticket validators – but even with sufficient machines, wheelchair and scooter users still won’t be able to access the back doors (especially since I’ve noticed that some of the newest buses have single-width back doors rather than double-width); even if they could, there would not be space for them near those doors. So if wheelchair and scooter users are to board the back door, there needs to be a change in fleet design as well as extra ticket validators.
How do non-wheelchair users tend to react when you call out/push them out the door? (I’m keeping in mind that, as Rebecca said, some people won’t have the energy to do that. But if people who do have the spoons to do it do, then maybe non-wheelchair users will be more aware of wheelchair users’ needs and space generally!)
Finally: what happened when you were the third wheelchair on the bus? Was it safe? Did it affect the way the driver drove? How did non-wheelchair passengers react?
Jo,
1) Routes without accessible buses – at least one of these 311 has some streets that are not suitable for modern buses without restricting parking in the back streets of Kings Cross etc and CCS won’t change the parking arrangements and has asked STA to continue operating older buses! (So much for Council’s accessibility support.) DOT and STA will have to bite the bullet some day and order some smaller accessible vehicles.
Accessible buses have been kept on busier routes – but there is probably no reason why all off-peak and weekend services can’t be all operated by accessible vehicles, with some exceptions similar to 311. AT the weekends this situation partly exists with nearly 100% of services from Mona Vale, Brookvale and Ryde Depots being accessible.
2) All door validating and PrePay should reduce the number of people using the front door.
3) Those at the front getting pushed realise that they shouldn’t have ignored me – some are iPod listeners involved in dangerous actions and some may be ‘wheelchair bound’ if not ‘cemetery bound”
4) Power ramps – twice this year I have managed to have services cancelled mid-trip because the driver gets me on and then can’t retract the ramp – that gets me some dirty looks as everyone is thrown off.
Thanks again.
Re (1): I admit, I did wonder (and that is one of the routes I’d noticed as using the old buses).
Re (4): surely there could be a system that has the best of both worlds, ie a power ramp that can be manually extended/retracted if necessary. Or is that totally unrealistic/too expensive?
This made me laugh: “some may be ‘wheelchair bound’ if not ‘cemetery bound'”.
On the whole, you sound pretty positive about accessibility on Sydney’s buses, which I find cheering – and probably a good counter to my post, which was largely pretty negative.
On a positive note from myself: I have never seen a bus driver be anything other than perfectly happy and willing to use the manual ramp and (if necessary) help move non-wheelchair passengers out of the way etc. While I still don’t think this is a complete answer to all of the issues I’ve outlined (and I guess nothing ever will be), I would imagine that not having to deal with resentfulness from a driver would go some way towards making the whole experience less annoying.
I am a wheelchair user living in Montréal. I facing very similar obstacles on Montréal buses…
As a disability rights activist / scholar my main interest is transportation.
I think that would be amazing to start a blog where people from various cities accross the world could share their stories about the accessibility/inaccessibility of public transit.
Laurence, thanks for your comment.
I agree that a blog such as you describe would be fantastic. If you start one up ;) I would be very happy to cross-post my accessibility posts on it :) (If you would be happy to accept a post from a non-wheelchair-user!)
Rebecca might also be willing to cross-post her post about Melbourne, and maybe some of the other people who have commented would be interested in writing a post.
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Jo,
As a wheelchair user from Sydney and a follower of your blog, I can’t believe I missed this post! I use public transport on principle, because of the usefulness to the planet and to raise the profile and certainly on the bus routes near where I live it is still not exactly predictable, but certainly getting better. In case you are interested, blog posts from my blog on the topic are here; http://www.willowdove.com/blog/blog/tag/transport/.
Cheers,
Hi Joanna
Thanks very much for your comment and the link; I will definitely keep an eye on your blog. I will be posting this across to Hoyden About Town when I have time (hopefully in a couple of weeks). One of the reasons I can’t just cross post (or, rather, won’t) is that I want to update the post using the comments on this post – so if you want me to add anything, please feel free to let me know.
As for using public transport on principle: I am with you on that, and good luck!