Blind woman falls after Dublin Bus driver 'refuses to pull closer to kerb'

Darragh McDonagh

Dublin Bus has received a number of complaints after a blind woman fell and was injured while disembarking from a bus after the driver allegedly refused to pull the vehicle closer to a kerb.

A month later, the same woman was hurt again when a driver lowered the wheelchair ramp to bridge the gap to the kerb – but allegedly did so in front of a bus stop pole, causing her to walk directly into it.

The complainant, Áine Wellard, said the first incident left her immobilised with back pain for some time, and she is still recovering from the injury almost two months later.

It occurred on the morning of April 15th as she was travelling from Poolbeg Street to the bus stop near Tesco in Sandymount.

“When we reached the stop, there was a big gap between the curb and the step of the bus,” explained Ms Wellard, who is a disability advocate.

“As well as a visual impairment, I also have a lower back problem, reducing flexibility in my spine.

“I knew the gap was too wide for me and requested the driver to bring the bus closer to the kerb. He refused to do so three times,” she recalled.

“I actually asked him if he knew how to bring the bus closer to the curb. He said he did but refused to do so. He told me that I should just put my foot out a bit further to reach the kerb.”

When she attempted to do so, she lost her balance and fell.

It was the second time that a Dublin Bus driver had refused to pull closer to the kerb at the Sandymount stop, according to Ms Wellard, who said he had treated her like she was “playing at being helpless”.

She made a formal complaint to Dublin Bus but, almost exactly a month later, she found herself pleading with another driver to move the bus closer to the kerb as she disembarked at Pearse Street.

“When we reached the stop, I tried to get off the bus but it was some distance from the kerb,” said Ms Wellard. “Still recovering from the injury sustained when travelling on the bus on April 15, I asked the driver to pull into the kerb.”

She said the driver refused but told her that he would lower the wheelchair ramp to bridge the gap. He allegedly did so directly in front of a bus stop pole, however, and Ms Wellard walked into it.

She filed a second complaint with Dublin Bus, which is required under its contract with the National Transport Authority (NTA) to ensure that buses are pulled close to kerbs to minimise the gap when people are boarding or disembarking.

However, Ms Wellard has been disappointed by the response from Dublin Bus.

The State-owned company confirmed that it had received and investigated the complaint, but refused to tell her whether it had been upheld or whether the driver had been sanctioned.

“While I appreciate this may not bring absolute closure to the matter on your side, I would ask for your trust that Dublin Bus take all complaints seriously and endeavour to find a reasonable and fair decision in each case,” it told her.

Dublin Bus claimed that it was prevented by GDPR from sharing any details of its investigation with Ms Wellard.

This position was disputed by Stuart Anderson, chief executive of GDPR consultancy XpertDPO, who suggested that Ms Wellard should be able to see how the complaint was handled because it involved her personal data.

Dublin Bus did not respond to a request for comment.