Independent-Mobility Rights and the State of Public Transport Accessibility for Disabled People

Abstract

A total of 245 rural men and women with physical disabilities were interviewed to assess their access to road transport. The overall level of access was poor for both the men and women with physical disabilities. Poor environmental conditions and terminal facilities, unfriendly vehicles and behavior of transport staff, and travel safety and security threats were the barriers that prevented them to access routes. The findings indicate that without having a clear understanding of the transport-accessibility challenges at transport-planning levels and adopting equities in practice, the promotion of disability rights in local transport would be impossible in developing societies like Pakistan.