This is the third time a mechanical failure has occurred on the School for the Blind’s bus, as reported by Christakis Nikolaidis, President of the Pancyprian Organization of the Blind, speaking on the Alpha Kalimera program. He described these as serious incidents, including an incident where seven blind people were forced to get off in the middle of the road on a boulevard in Aradippou when a problem recently arose.
“Last week, people from Free Famagusta came with many complaints, expressing their frustration, saying that this bus is very difficult to use, very dangerous, and that they would never travel on it again.”
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As he reports, they eventually returned by bus after receiving assurances from him that steps would be taken to replace the bus. Mr. Nikolaidis states that he tried to contact the Ministry of Education, but there was no response, as no one answered the phone.
“So I drafted a letter, and I’m going to wait and see if the bus is still the same; if it is, I’ll send the letter. Because we’re asking for a replacement. And it’s not just now that we’re asking for it; we’ve been asking for this bus to be replaced for two years because it’s broken down on other occasions as well.”
Mr. Nikolaidis also mentions that he was told there is a bus whose engine burned out, and they’re trying to fix it so they can put that one on the route.
“You can see that they don’t consider it important for blind people to be able to get to the School for the Blind safely.”
He also states that the door does not open easily on its own, noting that it is a dangerous system.
He clarifies that the promises to replace the bus were made by the Ministry of Education, which is passing the buck to the Ministry of Transportation.
When asked if he was aware of the incident, Sotiris Ioannou, Chairman of the Transportation Committee, he replied that he had been informed by an email sent by the Pan-Cyprian Organization of the Blind and stated that he had contacted the Ministry of Transportation, only to be told that since the bus is leased by the Ministry of Education, it is the Ministry of Education that is responsible for setting the specifications and criteria required to lease that particular bus. He is also awaiting a response as to whether this particular bus has a certificate of roadworthiness.
The former Chair of the Transportation Committee, Alekos Tryfonidis, states that the problems at the School for the Blind are long-standing, with numerous complaints having been recorded, yet the company has not replaced the bus.
