Evaluating Wheelchair Bay Trial Against Disability Rights Obligations and Parameters for Restoring Priority or Redesigning Bus Spaces
Ministry of TransportSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the Land Transport Authority's (LTA) "First to Board, First to Use" wheelchair bay trial, with Ms He Ting Ru asking the Minister for Transport about its evaluation against disability rights obligations, decision parameters, and timeline. In response, Mr Jeffrey Siow stated that the trial resolves practical difficulties when passengers cannot yield bays and allows LTA to study impacts on different commuters. The trial will end on 26 October 2026, after which LTA will review feedback from disability groups, families with young children, and bus captains' operational duties before deciding the way forward. He affirmed that the bus network will continue to comply with commitments under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Furthermore, while newer buses include two wheelchair bays equipped with foldable seats, LTA will continue exploring designs that best accommodate diverse commuter groups.
Transcript
56 Ms He Ting Ru asked the Minister for Transport regarding LTA's "First to Board, First to Use" wheelchair bay trial (a) whether it will be assessed against obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; (b) what parameters will govern whether to restore wheelchair users' priority or explore bus redesigns with separate convertible spaces as proposed by disability groups; and (c) by when a decision will be made.
Mr Jeffrey Siow: The Land Transport Authority's (LTA's) intent for the trial is to address situations where passengers who are already using the wheelchair bay cannot practically give way to someone who is about to board the bus. The trial also enables us to get better feedback on how different commuter groups are impacted.
As previously stated, the trial is expected to end on 26 October 2026. After the end of the trial, LTA will consider all feedback from disability groups and families with young children, and the implications for bus captains' operational duties, before deciding on the way forward. Our bus network will continue to comply with Singapore's commitments under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Our newer buses are designed with two wheelchair bays. While these bays are equipped with foldable seats for other passengers when they are not in use, this still results in fewer overall seats compared to older buses. We will continue to explore designs that will best accommodate different commuter groups.