I AM writing this letter with regard to an incident on board bus service 293 at 12.40am last Saturday.

I was travelling home from Tampines Street 45 with my family and mother-in-law, who uses a wheelchair because she has trouble walking long distances or standing for a long time.

Despite these difficulties, my mother-in-law is physically mobile and always gets off her wheelchair before boarding a bus.

We boarded service 293 - licence- plate number SBS8214Z, driven by Mr Huang Jing Fu - but was subsequently told to alight by the bus captain.

He even called the SBS Transit office and made me speak to an officer who identified himself only as Peter.

They both told me that my mother-in-law is not allowed to ride in the bus for safety reasons, because her wheelchair - which I had already folded and stashed into a safe corner - may hurt other passengers.

At the time, however, there were only three other passengers in the bus. Furthermore, my mother-in-law had boarded without using her wheelchair and was already sitting safely in the bus.

Both Mr Huang and Peter said a wheelchair is not allowed in the bus, even though it is specifically designed to carry disabled passengers. However, folded bicycles are allowed on board.

I fail to understand the reason for this policy. Why does SBS Transit prevent disabled people from riding a bus just because they use a foldable wheelchair? What if the person doesn't have money to pay for other means of transport? Does this mean he must suffer just to get from point A to point B?

Mr Edgardo 'Gary' Real

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