The Corporation is looking to make bus stops more accessible and inclusive.
What’s it about? Earlier this year, the Corporation invited bids to renovate 1,000 bus stops and construct another 156. The Gender and Policy Lab put forward recommendations to ensure they’ll be gender-inclusive.
- The recommendations were per the Harmonised Guidelines and Standards for Universal Accessibility in India 2021. It includes a minimum width of the passageway to the bus to be 1,200 mm.
- Disability rights activists said the guidelines ignored the boarding platform, a safer option than a ramp. They want all buses to be low-floor with a floor height of 400 mm.
Who said what? D Sneha, Deputy Commissioner – Education and head of Gender Lab, said the recommendations took into account what commuters would need. TMN Deepak, from the Social Work department at Loyola College, said the guidelines from the government and the gender lab don’t include safety belts, space for wheelchairs, and boarding ramps.