The Pancyprian Organisation of the Blind has accused the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth of putting blind trainees at risk with an unsuitable minibus, saying a recent breakdown left seven of them on a busy road in Aradippou at rush hour.
The organisation said it had written to the ministry and other authorities without receiving any response. “We strongly protest against the ministry’s continued refusal to replace this dangerous and unsuitable bus,” it wrote.
According to the organisation, the vehicle jolted repeatedly as it changed gear on an avenue in Aradippou, with noises coming from underneath, and was at risk of overturning. It stopped because of a fault, and the seven blind passengers still on board got off in the middle of the road in heavy rush-hour traffic.
Deafblind passengers, who did not know what was happening and wanted to get off, had to be held back by fellow trainees, the organisation said. After waiting for some time, the passengers called relatives to collect them, as neither the bus company nor the School for the Blind arranged to pick them up.
About 25 blind trainees travel each week to the School for the Blind in Nicosia for training in various fields. They use a 20-seat minibus, hired by the ministry, which sets off from the Larnaca or Famagusta district and collects them from their homes. Each journey to or from Nicosia takes more than two hours, and trainees arrive exhausted and upset, the organisation said.
It said trainees had been complaining for more than two years about the bus. They cite mechanical problems and safety concerns, the way it is driven by drivers who did not appear to be professional, and a door that does not open easily and puts them at risk. Windows held in place with wire open by themselves during journeys, seats are so worn that trainees end up sitting on the metal frame, and the vehicle is very dirty, it said.
Despite representations to the School and the ministry, nothing has been done to replace the bus with a suitable, safe and accessible vehicle, the organisation said. It described the situation as a flagrant violation of blind people’s rights that reduced them to second-class citizens, and said it was only by luck that there had been no casualties.
In a recent letter, the organisation warned the ministry that if it continued to disregard blind people, they would be forced to stop going to the School for the Blind, depriving them of their right to education and training. It has repeatedly called for the transport problems to be investigated.
