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Mumbai, India: Acknowledging
the special needs of the disabled and elderly, a new designer bus just
stepped off its pedestal, shedding all of 185 mm, to assist these
passengers. Called a ‘low-floor bus’ by
the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport undertaking (BEST), it will
hit the road on Wednesday. Trial runs were completed on Tuesday.
Initially, the bus will run between Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and
Backbay depot via Hutatma Chowk, Churchgate station, Mantralaya and the
World Trade Centre. Another low floor bus will be operational in three
weeks. The vehicle, which stands 865
mm above the ground against the 1,050 mm of the rest of the fleet, also
has fewer steps and wide pneumatic doors that shut as soon as the
passenger boards. The first step from the ground is only 365 mm against
the existing 430 mm. The bus is being run following
a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed in the Bombay High court by
final-year students of Pune’s Indian Law Society Law School. The PIL had
demanded that all government and municipal entities be directed to have
disabled-friendly vehicles for public transport. In addition, the BEST had also
been flooded with demands from Mumbai-based senior citizens and voluntary
organisations working for the rights of the disabled. Under the Persons
With Disabilities Act, 1995, emphasis has been laid on providing easy
accessibility for the disabled while boarding and alighting from public
transport vehicles. Apart from its height, the
interior of the bus has also been modified to make it more spacious and
stress-free. The engine is located at the rear to reduce noise and the
wide gangway will reduce the chaos inside. Also, its wider windscreen and
window will offer a more expansive view of the city-scape. Here’s another upshot: the
fare will remain the same as that of regular BEST buses. According to BEST General
Manager S S Kshatriya, the buses will run on trial basis for six months to
determine whether they can cope with the city’s potholed roads,
especially during the monsoon. Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging |
