A Go-Ahead Singapore Bus Captain helping to push a CPASS East student up the bus. Photo Credit: CPAS
A group of students on wheelchairs, some with mobility aids, and their teachers from Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore School (CPASS) East waits at the bus stop to take a bus to the nearby mall. A bus approaches, but there is only one wheelchair spot available on the bus. The group splits up, and 3 wheelchair accessible buses later, the group finally reconvenes at the mall.
This is a frequent problem encountered by the group of students, most of whom suffer from Cerebral Palsy (CP), a lifelong, non-curable condition affecting their mobility and posture on their weekly community mobility sessions. These sessions are aimed at allowing students to practice their public navigation and social interaction in the wider Singapore community.
In response to feedback, Go-Ahead Singapore, deployed additional buses with 2 wheelchair spaces on the service 358, which ply the route serving CPAS in Pasir Ris. This has helped to improve the running of community mobility sessions and daily commute for the students.
This is not the first time Go-Ahead Singapore has attempted to improve accessibility and convenience for persons with disabilities.
In 2020, Go-Ahead Singapore led the pilot of the “Helping Hand” scheme on its bus services with three identifiers – “May I have a seat please”, “This is a wheelchair”, and “Please alert me when I am approaching my stop”. The “May I have a seat please” card and lanyard was launched island-wide in April 2021. This was followed by the rollout of the other two identifiers across the network in April 2023. The “Helping Hand” scheme aims to help those requiring a little more assistance on public transport to signal their needs to others by using identifiers.
One of the cards “This is a wheelchair” was conceptualised in consult with CPAS. It helps to alert public transport staff and other commuters that these are paediatric wheelchairs, which may look like strollers, and cannot be folded.
"At Go-Ahead Singapore, we are dedicated to promoting inclusivity on public transport. By fostering an environment that respects and values each person’s unique abilities, we strive to make every journey more accessible and welcoming. We are grateful for the partnership with CPAS, which has allowed us to collaborate on creating impactful opportunities to support and uplift individuals living with cerebral palsy in our community."Leonard Lee, Managing Director, Go-Ahead Singapore
Leonard Lee, Managing Director of Go-Ahead Singapore. Photo Credit: Go-Ahead Singapore
Leonard was also part of a group of Go-Ahead Singapore volunteers who volunteered with CPASS on their weekly community mobility session for a month. The group also hosted CPASS students and staff at the Pasir Ris Bus Interchange for a special bus interchange familiarisation tour.
CPASS East students on the bus during the Bus Interchange Familiarisation tour. Photo Credit: CPAS
“We are highly appreciative of the responsive support from Go-Ahead Singapore over the years, and truly heartened that they had taken feedback and turned it into actionable initiatives such as the Helping Hand card”Latha Kutty, Executive Director, CPAS.
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This is a special story feature launched as part of CPAS’ World Cerebral Palsy Month, raising awareness of Cerebral Palsy.
Go-Ahead Singapore is further supporting the advocacy and fundraising efforts of CPAS. From October 2024 you can find the iconic e-Suzy donation doll on digital screens at the Pasir Ris and Punggol Bus Interchanges. Make a donation to support the Spare Your Change For Suzy 2024 campaign here: Dollar Matching: Spare Your Change for Suzy 2024 #SYC24
A group of students on wheelchairs, some with mobility aids, and their teachers from Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore School (CPASS) East waits at the bus stop to take a bus to the nearby mall. A bus approaches, but there is only one wheelchair spot available on the bus. The group splits up, and 3 wheelchair accessible buses later, the group finally reconvenes at the mall.
This is a frequent problem encountered by the group of students, most of whom suffer from Cerebral Palsy (CP), a lifelong, non-curable condition affecting their mobility and posture on their weekly community mobility sessions. These sessions are aimed at allowing students to practice their public navigation and social interaction in the wider Singapore community.
In response to feedback, Go-Ahead Singapore, deployed additional buses with 2 wheelchair spaces on the service 358, which ply the route serving CPAS in Pasir Ris. This has helped to improve the running of community mobility sessions and daily commute for the students.
This is not the first time Go-Ahead Singapore has attempted to improve accessibility and convenience for persons with disabilities.
In 2020, Go-Ahead Singapore led the pilot of the “Helping Hand” scheme on its bus services with three identifiers – “May I have a seat please”, “This is a wheelchair”, and “Please alert me when I am approaching my stop”. The “May I have a seat please” card and lanyard was launched island-wide in April 2021. This was followed by the rollout of the other two identifiers across the network in April 2023. The “Helping Hand” scheme aims to help those requiring a little more assistance on public transport to signal their needs to others by using identifiers.
One of the cards “This is a wheelchair” was conceptualised in consult with CPAS. It helps to alert public transport staff and other commuters that these are paediatric wheelchairs, which may look like strollers, and cannot be folded.
"At Go-Ahead Singapore, we are dedicated to promoting inclusivity on public transport. By fostering an environment that respects and values each person’s unique abilities, we strive to make every journey more accessible and welcoming. We are grateful for the partnership with CPAS, which has allowed us to collaborate on creating impactful opportunities to support and uplift individuals living with cerebral palsy in our community."Leonard Lee, Managing Director, Go-Ahead Singapore
Leonard Lee, Managing Director of Go-Ahead Singapore. Photo Credit: Go-Ahead Singapore
Leonard was also part of a group of Go-Ahead Singapore volunteers who volunteered with CPASS on their weekly community mobility session for a month. The group also hosted CPASS students and staff at the Pasir Ris Bus Interchange for a special bus interchange familiarisation tour.
CPASS East students on the bus during the Bus Interchange Familiarisation tour. Photo Credit: CPAS
“We are highly appreciative of the responsive support from Go-Ahead Singapore over the years, and truly heartened that they had taken feedback and turned it into actionable initiatives such as the Helping Hand card”Latha Kutty, Executive Director, CPAS.
--
This is a special story feature launched as part of CPAS’ World Cerebral Palsy Month, raising awareness of Cerebral Palsy.
Go-Ahead Singapore is further supporting the advocacy and fundraising efforts of CPAS. From October 2024 you can find the iconic e-Suzy donation doll on digital screens at the Pasir Ris and Punggol Bus Interchanges. Make a donation to support the Spare Your Change For Suzy 2024 campaign here: Dollar Matching: Spare Your Change for Suzy 2024 #SYC24