Rosmah: Public vehicles still leaving the disabled behind

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: Despite repeatedly appealing to the authorities to include them in transport development, the disabled still have little access to public transport.
“This is indeed sad. I hope the relevant authorities will look into this and give priority to the underprivileged group,” said Bakti acting president Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.
Quoting a World Health Organisation report, she said disabled people should be able to move along in the mainstream of development with others and fully utilise the facilities available to them.
She said this in her speech at the 2nd Bakti-Mind Conference: Empowering Persons With Disabilities Through Information Provision here yesterday.
Meanwhile, a coalition of 16 non-governmental organisations championing the cause of a barrier-free environment said they had sent a memorandum to Rapid KL asking accessible buses for all, including the disabled.
Barrier-free Environment and Accessible Transport (BEAT) coordinator Christine Lee said: “We tested out the buses when Rapid KL launched its new buses in September but they were not accessible to us.”
She said the memorandum was sent on Nov 6.
BEAT assistant coordinator Peter Tan said they were not asking for just disabled-friendly buses but universally accessible buses which the elderly, children, pregnant women and adults with prams or heavy baggage could travel in with ease.