Disability advocates are outraged over the case of a disabled man being kicked off a bus to make room for a stroller.
“I mean, my goodness, it’s just stunning that this would happen in 2016,” said Jane Dyson of the Disability Alliance of B.C.
READ MORE: Disabled man ‘in tears’ after kicked off TransLink bus for passenger with a stroller
Paul Scholefield, who has cerebral palsy, was heading home on Oct. 18 after his weekly floor hockey game, and carried his heavy bag of goalie gear onto the 341 Newton Exchange bus at Guilford Town Centre. The driver told Scholefield the bag was too big, and that if a stroller came on board he would have to get off.
Sure enough, a few stops later, a passenger with a stroller was waiting for the bus. Scholefield was told to vacate the bus, and he was left on the side of the road scared, disoriented, and in tears.
TransLink is now looking into the incident, saying they believe they’ve identified the driver in question. The driver has yet to make a statement, and the union that represents Coast Mountain Bus Company drivers says it can’t comment.
Dyson says the incident is at odds with TransLink’s recent progress in supporting disabled riders.
“I think TransLink generally has done a very good job with educating its staff and ensuring that transportation is accessible for people with disabilities, so this is a huge step back,” said Dyson.
It’s not yet clear how long the investigation will take. For now, Scholefield says he’ll take extra precautions, and won’t let this stop him from continuing with his hockey team.
“When I do have to take my hockey bag to hockey again, I’ll probably take my smaller bag, even though I don’t want to,” said Scholefield.
“I just don’t want the same incident to happen again.”
With files from Nadia Stewart
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