Bus service for disabled people a ‘blessing’

A year into the pilot bus service offering free on-demand rides to and from work, school and medical institutions for people with disabilities in Nicosia has proved to be a “blessing” for users and their families alike.

Despite its great success since it started in July 2023, the ministry of transport has still to approve it as a permanent service and expand it to include more people.

At the moment, 50 people use the service, while hundreds more are on the waiting list, eagerly hoping for a seat.

Business development director for Cyprus Public Transport Alexandros Kamberos said the free service has proved to be very helpful to people with disabilities and their families.

He pointed out that there was a long waiting list and that it was up to the transport ministry to move the programme from a pilot project to a permanent and expanded service, so that it can embrace more people, including the broader public.

“The transport ministry has all the data, which it must present to the minister for a decision,” he added.

“The service runs just twice a day per person, which is limiting.”

“The timetable is flexible. We call the day before and plan the next day’s routes to meet the needs of the users,” he told the Cyprus Mail.

“The aim is to reach 30-40 buses” and to include other towns as well, Kamberos added.

Kamberos also referred to the lack of bus drivers in general, which he said was “a Europe-wide phenomenon”.

Cyprus Public Transport has 600 employees, most of whom are drivers.

As drivers retire, fewer join the fleet.

And although remuneration packages are attractive, it takes 18 months and over €3,000 to get a professional driving licence, Kamberos said.

Head of the service Christos Mavrommatis said the more passengers, the cheaper the service will be for the government.

At the moment, he said, there were two 15-seater buses and four drivers, carrying out routes from 5am to 9pm, with about seven passengers at a time.

The buses, which have a hub for a wheelchair, pick up the passengers from the closest bus stop to them and drop them off at the bus stop closest to their destination, always on the side of the road that is most convenient to the user.

“The service now operates as a community,” Mavrommatis said.

The aim, he added, was to serve the broader public too, offering on-demand routes for a fee.

The Cyprus Mail spoke with people who use the service and their families, who said it had offered the users independence and was “indeed a blessing”.

Nikos, who is blind, told the Cyprus Mail that he was “very happy with the service and the drivers”, who are all “very helpful”.

“On the whole, I consider it to be a very good programme because it gives us independence,” he said.

In this way, the service “helps us and our families at the same time.”

Nikos has been using the bus service since July 10 this year, having been on the waiting list for a year.

His wife, Sophia, who suffers from painful muscular and joint conditions, praised the service.

“It is extremely helpful not having to drive across Nicosia and back again. It is indeed a blessing,” she said.

Niki said there were “no words to describe” how much this service has helped her.

“Family members have been relieved, but it’s more than that. It’s the joy of independence,” she told the Cyprus Mail.

Niki, who has impaired vision, was on the waiting list for a year and has been using the service for a month.

Her vision does not allow her to use the conventional buses because she can’t see the numbers from a distance and can’t signal them to stop.

“This service is more than a blessing and it is safe,” she said.

Erica’s 15-year-old son Markos, who has hearing problems, uses the service to get to his afternoon activities.

“It would take us an hour to get there and an hour to get back,” Erica said.

The buses, she added, also give a sense of security.

“You feel safer and we know the drivers,” Erica said.

Valentina’s 14-year-old son, Andreas, has used the bus service for getting to school.

“We are incredibly pleased with the service. We used it for school, to get there and back.”

However, Andreas, who is autistic and travelled with his brother, will not be able to use the service next year because his brother will be changing school.

“If there was an escort on the bus we would continue,” she told the Cyprus Mail.

Meropi, whose husband has only peripheral vision and depends on her for all his movements, also praised the bus service.

“My husband, Yiannis, has vision impairment and does not drive,” Meropi said.

She said they both work and commuting was “an unimaginable problem”.

Yiannis was on the waiting list and was offered a place on the buses six weeks ago.

“When we were informed, we were celebrating!”

Tasos, one of the four drivers, said he has been in the service since it began last year.

“I go to work and smile all the time,” he told the Cyprus Mail.

“It is a happy and healthy social environment.”