Cape Town - A Cape Town quadriplegic, who needs an assistant to push his wheelchair, has slammed MyCiTi bus officials for making them pay for the ride, saying it is discriminatory.
Will Scott, 42, has been in a wheelchair since he fell at 16 while practising for the world championships in gymnastics. The accident caused him to be paralysed from the neck down.
For the past two years, he has been fighting for equality for those living with disabilities who travel on MyCiTi buses.
Scott, a social media co-ordinator for the Western Cape Association for Persons with Disabilities, said: “I am a quadriplegic and I am unable to push myself around, therefore I require an assistant, Nomthetho Khunyuza, to help me out.
“They insist I should be paying for myself and my assistant on the bus, which I believe is discriminatory.”
He was told he needed to pay because only children under the age of four and people under one metre were exempt from paying.
“I thought to myself, you don’t charge a mother pushing a child in a stroller, so why are you charging me?’ I am not saying I am child in a stroller, but I have the same ability that a child in a stroller would necessarily have.”
Scott, who makes use of the MyCiTi bus about 12 times a month, said a driver once refused to leave the bus stop as he did not pay for his assistant. He was then forced to pay because there were other passengers.
Scott said many of the buses did not have working straps - to keep them secure - and some of the buses did not have boarding ramps. Brett Herron, the mayco member for Transport, said every commuter wanting to make use of the service must have their own myconnect card loaded with money to travel, except for children under 4 years old and one metre tall, who travel for free. There are no exceptions.
However, the City of Cape Town intends to investigate the possibility for commuters who need the assistance of a caretaker, to do so free of charge.
“This process is at a very early stage and must comply with the Municipal Finance Management Act, the National Land Transport Act, and other city policies,” said Herron.
“One of the options that we are investigating is to request commuters with special needs to provide Transport for Cape Town, the city’s transport authority, with the name and ID number of their caretaker - this person can then be added as an additional passenger’ on the commuter’s card.”
However, for the city to implement such a system they will need to have commuters with special needs to be assessed by an occupational therapist who will have to determine whether the commuter needs the assistance of a caretaker.
Cape Argus