New Metro rules in offing after wheelchair group’s complaints
Print Edition
Shanghai Metro said yesterday that new regulations were being discussed by the government and that it will never refuse people in wheelchairs after a group complained they had been stranded at a Metro station for more than two hours on November 13.
According to current regulations, wheelchairs with powered steering are prohibited in Metro stations and trains. Wheelchairs with powered units can only enter stations when they’re powered off.
The nine patients stranded at Baoyang Road Station had just completed a cruise tour to Japan. Some were reluctant to disconnect their steering. “We paraplegic patients all have the same issue — our back strength is weak,” said Miu Hong.
Miu said there was stalemate for over two hours before a staff member finally allowed them into the station. Each had their chairs powered off and steering disconnected and a station attendant escorted them onto the train.
Huang Yan, one of the group, later complained on social media about “impersonal” treatment.
Shanghai Metro said it only asked people to power off their wheelchairs or disconnect the steering for safety reasons. “There can be a large passenger flow in the station,” said an official. “We don’t want the wheelchairs to hit anyone, it is risky for both the person on the wheelchair and people walking.”
Shanghai Metro said some of the patients with Miu hadn’t cooperated with staff. There was an escort service for people in wheelchairs if they needed it.
“We generally escort them on to the train and tell the staff at the destination station to pick the passenger up,” the Metro operator told Shanghai Daily.
Shanghai Metro said wheelchair users can call 64370000 in advance to book the service for free.
On the same day Miu and her friends were arguing with the Metro operators, four other wheelchair passengers also entered the station, said the Metro operator. Two of them were in powered wheelchairs. “They powered them off and our attendant took them to the train,” the Metro operator noted.
Although Shanghai is improving access for disabled people, current regulations may not keep pace with new technologies and result in conflict and controversy.
Electric steering is an example of such latest technology. According to Shanghai Traffic Police, wheelchairs with the facility are prohibited from the streets.
“People using wheelchairs can buy a standardized electrically powered wheelchair and register it so that they can go on to the streets,” police said. “But putting the steering on a normal wheelchair is too dangerous.”
When Shanghai Daily asked the group whether they were aware the steering was not legal, they said none had ever been stopped by the police.
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