SINGAPORE - Two buses have been decked out in artworks depicting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in public transport settings, with tips on how other passengers can adopt a more caring attitude towards these passengers.
This is part of the Care (Caring Commuters Assist Readily with Empathy) Bus initiative that aims to raise awareness about the needs and struggles of those with disabilities, particularly those who ride buses on routes that serve special education schools.
Both buses are operated by public bus company Tower Transit Singapore. The initiative is a partnership with the Public Transport Council, under the Caring SG Commuters Movement, which aims to foster a pleasant, inclusive and caring commuting experience on Singapore’s public transport system.
The two Care buses, unveiled on April 24, are being deployed on service 173, which serves the Minds Hub@YMCA-Minds Bukit Batok, and service 859, which serves Rainbow Centre Admiral Hill School in Admiralty Lane.
The bus serving the 173 route sports illustrations of what students with disabilities perceive. These include drawings of individuals waiting at bus stops, boarding and riding a bus with tips like “Give time for me to tap my card”.
The bus serving the 859 route has artworks such as one of a child in distress while other commuters stare at the child, accompanied with the tip to “Give time for me to calm down”.
Laranyaa Selvaganapathy, 14, one of nine students from Rainbow Centre Admiral Hill School involved in the artworks, said: “I like that the people on the bus are kind to me.”
Mr Winston Toh, managing director of Tower Transit Singapore, said bus captains and other commuters can have a very big impact on whether people with disabilities feel welcomed on buses.
“We want to continue to foster this ‘kampung’ (village) spirit, this ‘kampung’ on wheels, where the bus captain and commuters come together to help those who are unable to help themselves,” he added.
Bus captains of both services visited the Minds Hub@YMCA-Minds Bukit Batok and Rainbow Centre Admiral Hill School earlier in April to learn more about intellectual and developmental disabilities, and how to better cater to students who use these services.
When asked about his experience with students with disabilities, bus captain Ragavan Balakrishnan, 39, who operates service 173, said: “There are some students who, when I’m maybe one minute late, ask me ‘why are you late?’ very loudly, and I have to explain to them by telling them that I was delayed by the traffic light, then they will be very happy and understanding.”
From the school visit, he learnt that there are different types of students with disabilities, and some need to be given the space to calm down.
Bus captain Mohammed Syazwan Mohammed Salim, 27, who has a social work diploma from Nanyang Polytechnic, gained a deeper understanding of these disabilities as a part of his diploma course.
“My role as bus captain in this situation is more of ensuring that everything is under control, and keeping things comfortable and less awkward as much as possible,” said Mr Syazwan.
As part of the Care Bus initiative, students from Sembawang Secondary School were also equipped with basic skills to help commuters with disabilities at a public bus inclusivity course conducted by Tower Transit Singapore in March.
These are not the first Care Buses to ply Singapore’s roads.
In 2022, for instance, two Care Buses operated by bus company Go-Ahead Singapore featured hand-drawn illustrations by three teenagers to raise awareness of the challenges facing people with disabilities, including those living with cerebral palsy, a group of conditions affecting movement and posture.
