Dublin Bus is facing criticism after a visually impaired woman was injured twice while getting off buses, with drivers allegedly failing to stop close enough to the kerb, reports Breaking News.
Áine Wellard, who is blind, said the first fall left her unable to move due to back pain and that she is still healing from the incident nearly two months later.
The initial incident occurred on April 15th during a journey from Poolbeg Street to a bus stop near the Sandymount Tesco store, reports Breaking News.
“When we reached the stop, there was a big gap between the curb and the step of the bus,” explained Ms Wellard, who is a disability advocate,” reports Breaking News.
“As well as a visual impairment, I also have a lower back problem, reducing flexibility in my spine,” reports Breaking News.
“I knew the gap was too wide for me and requested the driver to bring the bus closer to the kerb. He refused to do so three times,” she recalled, reports Breaking News.
“I actually asked him if he knew how to bring the bus closer to the curb. He said he did but refused to do so. He told me that I should just put my foot out a bit further to reach the kerb,” reports Breaking News.
Ms Wellard lost her balance and fell as she tried to follow the driver’s suggestion.
She said it was the second time a driver at the Sandymount stop had declined to move closer to the kerb, and she felt she was treated like she was “playing at being helpless”.
After filing a formal complaint with Dublin Bus, she had another troubling experience almost exactly a month later while exiting a bus on Pearse Street.
“When we reached the stop, I tried to get off the bus but it was some distance from the kerb,” said Ms Wellard. “Still recovering from the injury sustained when travelling on the bus on April 15, I asked the driver to pull into the kerb,” reports Breaking News.
Instead, the driver offered to lower the wheelchair ramp but reportedly deployed it in front of a bus stop pole, which she then walked directly into.
She filed a second complaint, citing the requirement in Dublin Bus’s NTA contract that drivers stop as close as possible to kerbs to reduce gaps for boarding and alighting passengers, reports Breaking News.
Ms Wellard expressed frustration at Dublin Bus’s response to her complaints.
The State-owned operator acknowledged receiving and investigating the complaint but did not inform her of the outcome or whether the driver faced disciplinary action.
“While I appreciate this may not bring absolute closure to the matter on your side, I would ask for your trust that Dublin Bus take all complaints seriously and endeavour to find a reasonable and fair decision in each case,” it told her, reports Breaking News.
Dublin Bus said GDPR rules prevent it from disclosing the results of the investigation to her.
However, Stuart Anderson, CEO of GDPR consultancy XpertDPO, challenged that explanation and said Ms Wellard should be entitled to information on how her case was managed since it involves her personal data, reports Breaking News.
Dublin Bus did not respond when asked for comment.
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