The Pancyprian Organisation of the Blind has raised serious concerns over the safety of transport provided to blind people attending training programmes in Nicosia, after seven passengers were allegedly forced to get off a bus in the middle of a road in Aradippou during rush hour.
According to a statement by the organisation, the vehicle developed a mechanical fault, leaving the passengers to contact relatives to collect them. It alleged that neither the company providing the bus nor the School for the Blind arranged alternative transport.
Around 25 blind trainees travel to the School for the Blind each week to attend vocational training programmes in various fields. A 20-seat minibus provided by the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth collects trainees from the Larnaca and Famagusta districts and transports them to and from Nicosia. Each journey takes more than two hours.
Organisation warns of serious safety concerns
The organisation has described the minibus as unsuitable for the task, claiming that it poses a direct risk to passengers’ physical safety.
It said trainees had been raising concerns for more than two years about mechanical faults, the condition of the vehicle and the way it was driven. The organisation also questioned whether the drivers were sufficiently professional.
According to the statement, the bus door is difficult to open, potentially putting passengers at risk when getting on and off. The windows reportedly open unexpectedly during journeys, in both winter and summer, and are secured with wire.
The organisation further alleged that some seats are so badly worn that passengers are forced to sit on the metal frames. It also described the vehicle as very dirty.
Passengers left on road after mechanical fault
The incident in Aradippou occurred when the bus reportedly jolted as the driver changed gear on a main road, with noises coming from underneath the vehicle.
The organisation said the incident raised fears that the bus could overturn, prompting the seven passengers to get off in the middle of the road.
Among them were people who are both blind and deaf, whom their fellow passengers struggled to restrain as they attempted to get off without understanding what was happening, according to the statement.
After waiting for some time, the passengers contacted their relatives, who eventually collected them from the roadside.
The organisation said the incident highlighted the risks associated with the transport arrangements and the lack of an appropriate response when the vehicle became unusable.
Calls for replacement vehicle
The Pancyprian Organisation of the Blind said trainees had repeatedly raised concerns with the School for the Blind and the Ministry of Education, but alleged that no action had been taken to replace the minibus with a suitable, safe and accessible vehicle.
It accused the authorities of disregarding the rights and dignity of blind people, describing their treatment as that of second-class citizens.
“Only by luck were there no victims,” the organisation said, adding that Ministry of Education officials had, in its view, made empty promises to trainees who face considerable difficulties in travelling to their training programmes.
Organisation warns trainees could stop attending
The organisation said it had sent a letter to the Ministry of Education warning that, unless the situation changed, the continued lack of action and what it described as an affront to the dignity of blind people could force trainees to stop travelling to the School for the Blind.
Such a development, it warned, would deprive them of access to education and vocational training.
The organisation is calling for repeated concerns over the transport arrangements to be investigated, arguing that the latest incident has demonstrated that the problems could put passengers’ lives at risk.
The allegations were made by the Pancyprian Organisation of the Blind in its statement. No response from the Ministry of Education, the School for the Blind or the bus provider was included in the information provided.
