Karnataka state transport body adds ramps in buses to make entry easy

CHITRADURGA: In its effort to make buses more friendly for senior citizens and the differently-abled, Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has decided to provide mobile ramps and wheelchairs at bus terminuses across the state.

Officials of all state-owned transport corporations — KSRTC, NWKRTC and NEKRTC — sent a circular to all divisional controllers on January 23 directing them to ensure wheelchairs and metal ramps at bus terminuses to help passengers board and deboard buses. At present, these two facilities are available at Hospet and Chitradurga bus stands.

According to the circular, district-level bus terminuses should have a minimum of two wheelchairs and
two ramps, whereas all the taluk centres should be equipped with a ramp and a wheelchair.The circular also adds that the seat number 24 and 25 in any bus should be reserved for the disabled. The ramps and wheelchairs have been supplied to all bus stands.  

Prasanna Kumar Balanaik, Divisional Controller, Chitradurga division, said, “We have prepared the ramps according to the specifications provided by the Directorate of Welfare of Disabled and Senior Citizen. They have been supplied to all the bus terminus in the division.” The ramps and wheelchairs have been made using the waste available at KSRTC workshops, he added.

Hospet Divisional Controller G Seenaiah said his division would be setting up a separate disabled-friendly platform at the terminus. The ramps are commuter-friendly, said Sreenivasa Reddy, Traffic Controller, Chitradurga bus stand.

Another traffic controller  said that the ramps are a bit long and it would help controller said disabled-friendly platforms were set up instead.