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[Lite Beer]

PM Yingluck Calls For Wheelchair-Friendly Public Buses



BANGKOK; -- At the meeting with over 100 people with disabilities at the Government House on 26 September, Ms. Yingluck promised to have the Ministry of Transport revise plans for the purchase of 3,000 buses in Bangkok metropolitan area, as proposed by the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA).

BMTA had proposed to spend 16 billion baht to buy 3,000 buses, of which only 1,524 are equipped with elevators to support those with disabilities.

Mr. Wiriya Namsiripanpong, founder of the Universal Foundation for Persons with Disabilities, said that the current plan could create discrimination against the disable people, and suggested that the government should adopt the ‘low-floor bus’, which could be equally accessed by passengers with or without disabilities.

During the meeting yesterday, the Prime Minister explained that Bangkok’s low areas may prevent the accessibility of the low-floor bus, particularly due to frequent flooding in the roads.

However, she told the visitors she would appoint an authority to study the possibilities and routes that the service could be provided, but admitted that the service might not be 100% accomplished.

Mr. Teerayuth Sukhonthawit, President of the Association of People with Disabilities in Nonthaburi province, said that the low-floor buses are designed to comply with international standards in terms of its accessibility by all people.

He said his group has been working to promote the deployment of the disabled friendly buses. Mr. Teerayuth said many public buses in Bangkok are still unable to fulfill the need of people with disabilities.

The Prime Minister has insisted that the government is trying its best to facilitate the disabled and elderly people.

During their visit, Ms. Yingluck also led the group to tour her offices and take turns to take a seat on the Prime Minister’s chair.

Source: http://www.khaosod.co.th/en/view_newsonline.php?newsid=TVRNNE1ESTRORE16Tmc9PQ==&sectionid=TURVd01BPT0=

--KHAOSOD English

[hellodolly]

Well it would be nice to have wheel chair friendly side walks and wheel chair friendly corners.

In Seattle the buses have a special ramp for wheel chairs to get on with. The driver extends a ramp out and then lowers it when the passenger is on the ramp he raises it up to the level of the aisle and they have two benches that can be folded up and the wheel chairs strapped to the wall. The drivers are very active in getting them strapped in they do not just sit and watch.

No need of redesigning the whole bus to accommodate only certain parts of the city.

This could be a good excuse for Yingluck to visit the states to see how they look after there wheelchair bound citizens.

Edit

I wish I would stop hitting the ; and hit the L instead.

Edited September 27, 2013 by hellodolly

[petedk]

Great!

How about having wheelchair friendly bus drivers too. Only yesterday mdid I see a blind man trying to get on the bus. He was about a metre behind the door and slowly tried to feel his way to the door but the driver didn't have the patience to wait. He just sped off.

[EricBerg]

A noble initiative. The lady sets her priorities. But will there be follow-up thistime?

[harrry]

At last she has my vote...and I thought I would never say that.

[lee b]

Good idea, lets see if it happens now

[mrtoad]

It would be a good initiative, if they actually do something. Sadly, with the corruption and incompetency it will probably only result in a Half assed, pocket lining exercise for PTP and their cronies.

[Robby nz]

However, she told the visitors she would appoint an authority to study the possibilities and routes that the service could be provided, but admitted that the service might not be 100% accomplished.

Oh good another committee to study the possibilities, more jobs licks of the honey pot for the friends and rellies.

[noitom]

This would require reengineering all the sidewalks and bus stops. Plus it would also probably require a completely new fleet of buses equipped for disabled, entry, reserved spaces, and safety lock in. Last but not least, this would require a level of training and education that would well exceed the current level of Thai bus drivers.

[Thai at Heart]

Not to be glib, what is the point of wheel chair friendly buses, when there isn't 10m of flat unoccupied pavement in the whole City?

[alanr1610]

Lip service............ Whats the point in having wheelchair friendly buses when the sidewalks/pavements are are a joke. Disabled access, hah it will never happen will it Ms Yinluck, shame on you.

[Jay Sata]

Just more PR spin to get her face in the press.

It's never going to happen.

I'd be more impressed if she issued an international arrest warrant for the Red Bull cop killing kid.

[kimamey]

Not to be glib, what is the point of wheel chair friendly buses, when there isn't 10m of flat unoccupied pavement in the whole City?

I certainly can't fault her objectives but we'll have to see what actually happens. It will be a long job because as you point out a wheelchair friendly bus is one thing but many footpaths are difficult even without a wheelchair.

As far as it goes full marks. Now she has the opportunity to show what she can do to get things done.

[Thai at Heart]

Not to be glib, what is the point of wheel chair friendly buses, when there isn't 10m of flat unoccupied pavement in the whole City?

I certainly can't fault her objectives but we'll have to see what actually happens. It will be a long job because as you point out a wheelchair friendly bus is one thing but many footpaths are difficult even without a wheelchair.

As far as it goes full marks. Now she has the opportunity to show what she can do to get things done.

It actually shows a microcosm of the problems that Thailand faces. Off the cuff solutions by unqualified people.

The big marquee purchase outweighs the greater benefits if fixing the pavement. I don't applaud it at all. It misses the problems by miles.

Edited September 27, 2013 by Thai at Heart

[NeverSure]

Well it would be nice to have wheel chair friendly side walks and wheel chair friendly corners.

In Seattle the buses have a special ramp for wheel chairs to get on with. The driver extends a ramp out and then lowers it when the passenger is on the ramp he raises it up to the level of the aisle and they have two benches that can be folded up and the wheel chairs strapped to the wall. The drivers are very active in getting them strapped in they do not just sit and watch.

No need of redesigning the whole bus to accommodate only certain parts of the city.

This could be a good excuse for Yingluck to visit the states to see how they look after there wheelchair bound citizens.

Edit

I wish I would stop hitting the ; and hit the L instead.

Awesome post. It's so easy if you just do it. But then the Honorable PM has a new "plan A" every day that she's actually in the country.

[Mampara]

Great!

How about having wheelchair friendly bus drivers too. Only yesterday mdid I see a blind man trying to get on the bus. He was about a metre behind the door and slowly tried to feel his way to the door but the driver didn't have the patience to wait. He just sped off.

Yea, some of these bus drivers are absolute *#*#* when it comes to the elderly or the disabled.

[Mosha]

File in the same drawer as children's and women's rights. To be wheeled out (no pun intended) annually, but not actually do bugger all about it.

[LuckyLew]

Bkk and Thailand is awful for those confined to wheelchairs ...

lack of ramps to the almost all buildings is idgraceful ...

but then again a wheeelchair bound person cannot even roll down a street or sidewalk

Sidewalks here all hole ridden ... bumpy and overrun by mopeds

She should spend a week in a wheelchair so she could grasp the issue ...

Saying this and that is all lip service ... action speaks louder then words

[hellodolly]

This would require reengineering all the sidewalks and bus stops. Plus it would also probably require a completely new fleet of buses equipped for disabled, entry, reserved spaces, and safety lock in. Last but not least, this would require a level of training and education that would well exceed the current level of Thai bus drivers.

Not So

Seattle used the same bus stops that had been in use many of them for 50 years. It is all in the design of the loading ramp, This has already been done and is a proven winner.

[hellodolly]

Not to be glib, what is the point of wheel chair friendly buses, when there isn't 10m of flat unoccupied pavement in the whole City?

I certainly can't fault her objectives but we'll have to see what actually happens. It will be a long job because as you point out a wheelchair friendly bus is one thing but many footpaths are difficult even without a wheelchair.

As far as it goes full marks. Now she has the opportunity to show what she can do to get things done.

She has had many opportunities to show she can get things done. This is just another item on her on going list of failures. She is going to set up a committee. All she has to do is pick up the phone call the company that makes the buses for Seattle have them come look the situation over and give her the answer. They are professionals with many years of experience. Just one phone call away.

She will probably have some clown such as Jutuporn heat this inept committee.

[slapout]

I want to know, how many committees we have lurking on the sidelines, when do they meet, where do they meet, and just for grins, where do all the warm bodies come from, to staff the committees?

I have personally never met an alledged committee member here in CM but that may just be my lack of social contact with committee type people. I did see the police escorting 8 tour buses, maybe that was one of the committees on their way to do what ever they do.

[Local Drunk]

OK.. Good idea: then there is the problem of how to get to the bus that is loading in the middle of the street and where to go once the bus drops you in the middle of the street.

Edited September 27, 2013 by Local Drunk

[Tatsujin]

At last she has my vote...and I thought I would never say that.

She would never get my vote. None of these initiatives are followed through on. She gets involved in these things, sees it might make a great headline, says a few meaningless words, then she moves on to the next thing and forgets what she promised. A barbie doll.

[monkey4u]

Wheelchair accessable buses, now we are talking 20th century transport.

Too bad the sidewalks dont cater for the chairs.

Look at Sukhumvit rd, night stalls every where its hard just walking, then the corners no ramps just high kerbs with more stalls

Its a great plan too bad its just a pipe dream

Maybe next century, we just skip this one

[h90]

A joke?

Most of the sidewalks can't be used with two healthy legs. Full with vendors or holes or reconstruction started 10 years ago and never finished.....

That must be fixed first before thinking for the buses. If you can't get to the bus, the question if you can enter it is not important.

How much commission do they get on the bus purchase?

[trainman34014]

Bla Bla Bla.....yet more lip service. Ms Yingluck; it's easy to talk the talk....but when will you walk the walk ??

[jbrain]

Most of Pattaya has wheelchair friendly sidewalks already, that is if you're not paying enough attention to the broken pavement you risk to end up in a wheelchair.

They also have wheelchair ramps on most of the sidewalks for many years already, unfortunately there is a lamp post in the middle of most ramps.

[harrry]

Bla Bla Bla.....yet more lip service. Ms Yingluck; it's easy to talk the talk....but when will you walk the walk ??

isn't the walk we are talking about. But is is a positive proposal. It will not fix it but if some of he infrastruchture changes more will.

[h90]

Bla Bla Bla.....yet more lip service. Ms Yingluck; it's easy to talk the talk....but when will you walk the walk ??

isn't the walk we are talking about. But is is a positive proposal. It will not fix it but if some of he infrastruchture changes more will.

No it is not a positive proposal. It is abusing people in wheelchairs to make some extra money with corruption.

When you look at the purchases of public buses in Thailand in history, I think every purchase was full of corruption.....

Now taking the wheelchair thing to silence any critics. Whoever says something against it will look heartless not carrying for the weak.

[harrry]

Bla Bla Bla.....yet more lip service. Ms Yingluck; it's easy to talk the talk....but when will you walk the walk ??

isn't the walk we are talking about. But is is a positive proposal. It will not fix it but if some of he infrastruchture changes more will.

No it is not a positive proposal. It is abusing people in wheelchairs to make some extra money with corruption.

When you look at the purchases of public buses in Thailand in history, I think every purchase was full of corruption.....

Now taking the wheelchair thing to silence any critics. Whoever says something against it will look heartless not carrying for the weak.

I do not care who is abused as long as wheelchair travel is facilitated. But the people who are oppposing this are the ones that are abusing the disabled. If one companyh pays more than another who cares.

Edited September 28, 2013 by harrry