The Myanmar Independent Living Initiative (MILI), an organisation that advocates for the rights of disabled people, will submit a plan to the Yangon Region Transport Authority (YRTA) on Thursday to install access ramps on all public transport.

The organisation will introduce a plan to install the access ramps for people with disabilities and elderly people on public buses and water taxis. It will also discuss the installation of sound systems for the blind, LED sign systems for the deaf, and removing all barriers to the disabled on public transport.

Although the Yangon Bus Service (YBS) instead of the Yangon Region Supervisory Committee for Motor Vehicles and water taxis manages bus operations, some buses replaced wheelchair space with regular seats. 

Moreover, there are steps at the exits and entrances of buses and water taxis, which hinder disabled people, said Ko Nay Lin Soe, a disabled person who is executive director of MILI.
 

“Many disabled and elderly people in Yangon face obstacles, even in public places. 

“The transportation system does not allow access to people with disabilities,” he said.

In January, the Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC) signed a build, operate and transfer contract with FMIDecaux to construct 500 new and modern bus stops equipped with digital city information panels in Yangon Region.

The construction of the new bus stops will begin in June and take about 18 months to complete. 

“If barrier-free zones are part of the planning, some of the budget can be saved. If not, more money will be required for infrastructure to be rebuilt to allow the disabled access. 

“We will suggest this to the authorities. We want to cooperate with them,” said Ko Nay Lin Soe.

In Yangon, 3.4 percent of the population lives with disabilities. Throughout the country, 4.6pc, or 2.3 million people, live with disabilities.

According to a report, disabled people face obstacles in public places such as offices, temples, housing, schools, hospitals, parks, cinemas, shopping centres, traffic intersections, crosswalks and at railway stations.

Thus MILI will urge the Hluttaw to consider the problem, he said.

“We want to ride buses and trains for low cost but drivers don’t want to take us.” 

Normal people pay a low price (K200) on public transport, but we have to pay more (K3000) to hire taxis for the same destination, he added. 

They are also inconveniences with taxis, he said. 

“Even if we pay as much as the driver asks, some of them still avoid us. We feel degraded,” said Ma Hnin Yee Oo, a disabled person.

Source: https://www.mmtimes.com/news/disabled-people-seek-help-public-transport.html