NDP singer-songwriter criticises LTA’s shared wheelchair bay trial: ‘Stressful and sad to feel unwanted on public transport’
A singer-songwriter has spoken out against the Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) launch of a “First to Board, First to Use” trial for wheelchair bays on public buses, pointing out that wheelchair users will have to compete with passengers with strollers for the space.
The six-month trial was launched in April, during which priority bays across 10 bus services will be shared among wheelchair users and passengers with strollers.
The initiative aims to make public transport more inclusive for commuters with diverse mobility needs, including parents with young children.
Commuters can also share feedback on the trial through LTA’s feedback form.
Responding to a Parliamentary Question in January, then-Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow explained that open strollers are allowed in wheelchair bays if they are unoccupied. However, strollers should be folded to give priority to wheelchair users.
DPA speaks out against trial, LTA responds
The Disabled People’s Association posted a response to the trial on July 27, arguing that while strollers can be folded, wheelchairs cannot, highlighting the difference between a “preference” and a “necessity”.
Wheelchair accessible vehicles are also “scarcer, slower to book, and far more expensive”, with prices apparently up to two to four times the cost of a regular ride.
The post also acknowledged that passengers with strollers deserve easier journeys, urging the authority to consider buses with “a proper wheelchair space and flexible space for strollers”.
In response to the post, LTA said in a comment that the trial was introduced after engagement with social service agencies and different commuter groups.
“Our intent is to better understand how a shared-priority approach may support the diverse needs of all commuters, including wheelchair users, users of personal mobility aids, and families with young children,” the comment read.
The agency added that it is closely monitoring feedback throughout the trial.
Singer-songwriter raises concerns
Singer-songwriter and artist-educator Sky Shen, who will be performing at the National Day Parade this year, spoke out about the trial in an Instagram post on July 28, saying that “the extent to which passengers with strollers and wheelchair users need the space is different”.
The 32-year-old, who was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at the age of five and has been using a wheelchair since the age of 12, also expressed concern over LTA’s response.
He pointed out that wheelchair users would have to “compete” with passengers with strollers to use the wheelchair bay, stressing the difference between a “need” and a “want”.
While passengers may want the convenience of placing strollers in the wheelchair bay, many wheelchair users do not have that option, he argued.
‘Stressful and sad’: Singer-songwriter recounts public transport struggles
Speaking to Stomp, Shen said that he would often encounter people using the wheelchair bay on buses to store strollers, luggage, and shopping carts.
Most passengers would willingly make way for him, which he is thankful for, but others appeared “visibly annoyed”.
“I have also been asked by passengers why I must ‘travel at this time’ during busier periods,” he recalled.
“It is stressful and sad to feel that I am unwanted on public transport, even though we are just trying to live normal lives alongside everyone else.”
Although he acknowledged that the bus services he frequents are not part of the trial, taking public transport is “often already a challenge”, explaining that there were occasions where he has had to miss multiple buses that were too crowded.
As the trial is ending, Shen felt it was important to speak out against it to highlight the struggles of wheelchair and mobility-aid users.
“In my opinion, the policy is unjust and flawed in principle and should not be considered an option at all,” he said.
Parent speaks out in comments section
In the comment section of LTA’s Facebook post announcing the trial, a netizen who said they were a wheelchair user and mother of three shared her perspective.
She explained that public transport is not a convenience, but the “only way to get to work and stay employed”.
While she understood that parents with strollers need space, she pointed out that strollers are often lighter and more manageable.
“So why must this be reduced to ‘first to board, first to use’? Are we really so immature as a society that we can’t come to a mutual understanding?” she wrote.
Another netizen said that the trial would make public transport “inclusive and accessible”, but suggested that bus captains would bear the load.
Others suggested extending the trial to trains, such as allocating carriages for families with strollers and wheelchair users.
Stomp has reached out to LTA for more information.
Explore more on these topics
See something interesting? Contribute your story to us.
