Facebook user Nigel Turtle shared how his wheelchair bound grandmother was allegedly rejected from boarding a bus because it was “full” and told her to wait for the next bus.
He said that the bus driver told her that the bus was full, and his maid then refuted the claims saying that the bus was not full at the time.
They then missed the bus, resulting in his grandmother missing her dialysis appointment, and he later went to lodge a complaint at Yishun Bus Interchange.
However, he was told to call the bus terminal at Tampines Concourse for his feedback, and he was allegedly “entertained” by a staff member, who allegedly wanted to close the case.
Here is what he said
“Wonder is there a SOP with SBSTransit Bus Captain when wheelchairs commuters needed to board the bus?
From our past experiences when our elderly wheelchair ah mah (82yrs) flagged down the SBS bus, most of the captains were friendly and helpful by letting wheelchair commuters board before opening the front door to allow other commuters from boarding (Appreciate and Salute the Captains and the understanding commuters too).
We engaged a helper to accompany our wheelchair ah mah to NKF Simei Centre for her dialysis time slot at 7.30am.
Hence, every 2,4,6, the helper will ensure that they have to leave home @ 6.00am (15 mins to reach the bus stop) to catch and not to miss the first timing of Bus 39 arrives at 6.33am, and change to Bus 38 at Tampines to reach the NKF dialysis Centre for treatments. In order not to be late to jeopardize the next session timing slot for dialysis patients for treatments.
On the 23/08/22, when the first timing Bus 39 arrived at Punggol central Blk 649 (Bus stop nos 65261), our helper flagged the bus and move to the back door area waiting patiently for the bus captain to open the back door and platform to assist in allowing them to board the Bus. Our helper was being briefed that if there’s a wheelchair occupying the space in the bus, they are not able to board.
Unfortunately, the bus captain did not assist them to board the bus and only opened the front door to let the commuters board the bus and informed our helper the bus is full and asked to wait for the next bus 39.
Our helper told us that when the 1st timing bus 39 arrived, there was no wheelchair onboard and bus was not full with commuters….
Due to their not being able to board the 1st timing bus, they reached NKF Simei around 8.10am that we can understand why the staff at NKF was not pleased that would jeopardize the next session patients (each session takes 4 hrs to complete).
I went to the Yishun bus interchange (24/8) to feedback on the above-mentioned matter and was told I need to call Bus 39 terminal at Tampines Concourse for feedback.
Thus, I called the Tampines Concourse and a guy name Jimmy apologized and commented will inform the Bus Captain… He did not even ask me for more details like which Bus Stop nos, Blk, etc…:: it seems to me that he was trying to “entertain” me by apologizing and closing the case. Hence, I provided him with the details for him to follow up.
Any sound of mind person will wonder why an elderly ah mah needs to take the bus at such early hour.
Shopping Centre is only open after 11am. Can’t be she wanted to reach the shopping mall and be the 1st shopper to enter the mall right?
– Please advise how can I share this post to SBSTrasit for them to follow up?”
