SINGAPORE - Wheelchair users can now familiarise themselves with wheelchair-friendly travel routes under a new programme by transport operator SBS Transit.
Under the Travel Buddy programme launched on Monday, wheelchair users can sign up for up to three free sessions on how to navigate a travel route with the help of a travel buddy.
The travel buddies, who are SBS Transit employees, will guide the passenger throughout the journey and share travel tips with them such as locating the lifts at a train station or finding the right cabin for wheelchair users.
Travel buddies will meet the passengers at their preferred starting bus stop, bus interchange or train station, and guide him or her through the route. Depending on the route, passengers may be guided by more than one travel buddy throughout the journey.
A sector of the journey must include travelling on any SBS Transit bus or train service, including the North East Line (NEL), Downtown Line and Sengkang-Punggol LRT service.
One beneficiary of the programme is a wheelchair user who wanted to be known as Mr H.B. Tan. A spinal cord injury in 2020 left him dependent on a wheelchair.
Since then, said the 57-year-old, “getting onto a bus or a train suddenly became so unfamiliar to me, and it is a challenge for me because I am fearful of boarding a bus or train without help”.
He added: “But with this programme, I get a good idea of how to get to the respective stations and receive guidance from travel buddies to, for instance, tell me where the lift is or the right cabin in the train where I can park my wheelchair safely.”
Mr Tan, who is unemployed, has been familiarising himself with his regular routes, including commuting from his home in Jurong to Alexandra Hospital in Queenstown.
The programme also makes it easier for him to switch from private transport to public transport. Currently, he gets around by driving, but his wife has to help him with his wheelchair.
“When I get older, I may not be able to drive any more, so I wanted to take this opportunity to get used to taking public transport on my own,” he said.
Mr Jeffrey Sim, chief executive of SBS Transit Rail, said the programme was designed not only to help anxious wheelchair passengers allay their fears, but also to help caregivers feel assured when these passengers take public transport on their own.
He added that some of the travel buddies are people with disabilities who can empathise with the users.
There are currently about 30 travel buddies, including four with disabilities.
Among them is station guide Helen Yan, 49, who has been using a wheelchair since 2019.
Ms Yan said she faced difficulties taking public transport when she first started using the wheelchair and can relate to other wheelchair users.
“It feels good to be able to help them save time on searching for the places they want to go to,” she said. “Most importantly, it is to make sure that they are safe.”
Travel buddies have attended a disability awareness training course by local disability-focused charity SPD. The course includes learning how to guide passengers with visual impairment.
Currently, the programme is available only to passengers in wheelchairs, but it will be extended in the future to passengers with other disabilities, such as those who are visually impaired.
To provide greater accessibility to wheelchair users, SBS Transit also launched a portable stair climber at the NEL platform at Outram Park station on Monday. The equipment allows station staff to move a manual wheelchair up or down a flight of stairs in case of lift breakdowns.
More stair climbers will be deployed in other train stations if the pilot initiative is successful.
For more information on the Travel Buddy programme, visit www.sbstransit.com.sg/travelbuddy
