Tower Transit Bus Captains are being equipped not just to render assistance to persons with disabilities. In a disability awareness and sensitivity talk held today at Bulim Bus Depot by SPD, an organisation that supports persons with disabilities, Bus Captains were taught to be sensitive to the needs of people with disabilities, to adopt disability etiquette and to think about disabilities in non-prejudicial ways. The talk is part of a broader programme to equip Tower Transit’s Bus Captains with both the hard and soft skills needed to facilitate a smooth ride for people with disabilities.

“Buses are probably the most accessible mode of transport in any city, and everyone, especially people who are less mobile and have disabilities, should be able to freely board a bus without feeling like an inconvenience to others. That requires more than training in hard skills for our Bus Captains. It requires social awareness, that’s why this talk by SPD is so important,” said Andrew Bujtor, MD, Tower Transit Singapore.

Beginning with the need to not define people with disabilities by their impairments, the talk covered subjects such as types of disabilities, interaction with people with disabilities and language use. Bus Captains were taught to avoid terms like “suffers from” when describing people with disabilities or “normal” in describing able-bodied people. Common misconceptions, such as the assumption that disabilities are generally visible, were also corrected.

“Sometimes you think you’re helping, but you’re not. This talk helped me understand that not all people with disabilities need help. It also taught me how to offer help when it’s needed,” said Bus Captain Minitjacky Wong.

As part of its progressive training programme, Tower Transit intends to have more courses to help its Bus Captains to interact with and assist people with disabilities. This may include sessions for people with disabilities to share personal experiences of their daily commute, so Bus Captains can better appreciate their needs.