In May 2023, a wheelchair-bound bus passenger fell out of his wheelchair when his bus was making a corner turn.

The elderly passenger landed with his head under a bus panel door and suffered bleeding from his head and right hand. An ambulance was called immediately and the elderly passenger was conveyed conscious to Sengkang General Hospital. 

According to the Deputy Managing Director of SMRT Buses, Vincent Gay, investigations began shortly and SMRT’s care team reached out to the elderly passenger.

Wheelchair inclusion features on SBS buses

Over half of public buses in Singapore are wheelchair accessible buses (WABs)

WABs are equipped with wheelchair-friendly features and ensure a safe journey for wheelchair-bound passengers. They are easily identifiable from the front of the bus by the blue passenger-in-wheelchair WAB logo.

The wheelchair-friendly features on the bus include:

1. A wheelchair accessible ramp

Image by Land Transport Guru

2. Padded backrest

Image by Honeycombers

3. Handrails

Image by Handicaps Welfare Association

WABs have both horizontal handrails as well as vertical stanchion poles around designated wheelchair space on the bus.

4. Special bell-push buttons

Image by The Straits Times

Image by Handicaps Welfare Association

These buttons are located on the handrails inside the bus and on the exterior of the bus and are programmed with a chime that is different from the normal bell. This alerts the bus captains that assistance for wheelchair users is required.

6. Trained bus captains 

Image by SBS Transit

Bus captains are trained to aid wheelchair-bound passengers and operate the ramps on WABs during boarding and alighting.

At Medical Assistance4u

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