A recent bus ride with his three children and two strollers prompted one father to question whether Singapore’s public transport provides enough space for commuters with different mobility needs.
Bobby Sim wrote in his Facebook post on Sunday (July 19) that on most days he has “been lucky because people are kind”, but recalled an instance where a bus driver informed him that one stroller would need to make way if a wheelchair user needed to board.Â
One wheelchair user eventually did board the bus, but Sim said he was unable to fold up a stroller as his children were sleeping in them. Fortunately, the wheelchair user, he added, patiently said that he would wait for the next bus.Â
“We were very thankful. But honestly, he should not have had to wait also,” recounted Sim.
Sim typically travels on public transport, including buses, with two strollers â a double stroller and a single stroller.
A photo shared by Sim in his post shows three toddlers seated in two strollers on a public bus. The strollers are parked in the area reserved for strollers and wheelchairs.Â
“Wheelchair users need priority. Parents with young kids also need a workable way to move around. Bus drivers are stuck enforcing rules. Everyone is just trying to get from one place to another without making life harder for someone else,” Sim wrote.
He then spoke about how “Singapore says it wants more babies and more active seniors”.Â
“Then you try to board a bus with both, and you see the real problem nobody talks about,” captioned Sim. “That is not anyone being difficult. That is just the design.”
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