Size and Weight

Ensure your open stroller, wheelchair or PMA does not exceed 120cm in length and 70cm in width. The wheelchair or PMA shall also not exceed 150cm in height (measured from the floor to the top of the PMA or the user’s head when seated on PMA, whichever is higher); and the total weight of the wheelchair or PMA together with the user shall not exceed 300kg.

Boarding and Alighting Safely

Today, 98% of our bus stops are barrier-free except for some with site constraints, such as those located at five-foot ways.

Commuters in wheelchairs or on PMAs can board and alight at barrier-free bus stops.

Look for the signage on the bus stop pole at bus stops to check if the bus stop is barrier-free. Alternatively, commuters can also check whether a bus stop is wheelchair-accessible via the MyTransport Mobile App (iOS | Android).

All our MRT and LRT stations in Singapore are barrier-free. To make it even safer, wherever possible, there are rubber gap fillers between trains and platforms to reduce the risk of commuters in wheelchairs, PMAs or with strollers slipping into or getting caught in the gaps.

Station staff and service ambassadors also proactively offer assistance to commuters. If you need help with your wheelchair, PMA or stroller, approach them at the Passenger Service Centres.

Enjoying Your Ride

Use the designated space for wheelchairs, PMAs and open strollers to keep the aisles, stairways, entries and exits unobstructed.

Secure your stroller with the restraints and engage the brakes. When using a wheelchair or PMA, engage the brakes and position your wheelchair or PMA facing the rear of the bus. The passenger in a wheelchair or PMA shall also hold on to the handrails for his/her own safety.

Starting from Thomson-East Coast Line MRT stations, transiting on the MRT system is easier for the visually impaired with the provision of braille and embossed text on the handrails of public staircases and ramps to aid wayfinding. Signages for public toilets are also provided with braille and embossed text for easy identification.

The Helping Hand scheme comprises a set of identifiers to help commuters ask for assistance more conveniently. Commuters can wear the lanyard with a card that best describes their needs. There are three messages under the Helping Hand scheme:

 

1.  “May I have a seat please” initiative

Commuters with non-visible health conditions or disabilities can easily alert the public transport staff and other commuters to offer them  a seat on the public transport. Commuters with short-term or temporary conditions (such as those on medical leave) may request for the “May I have a seat please” sticker.

2.   “This is a wheelchair” initiative

Commuters travelling with a paediatric wheelchair may often be mistaken for using a stroller. This initiative allows them to alert the public transport staff and other commuters that the wheelchair cannot be folded – in the event that the wheelchair space has to be shared with another commuter in wheelchair on the bus. Bus Captains may also facilitate the commute by lowering down the ramp for the wheelchair to board and alight.

3.  “Please alert me when I am approaching my stop” initiative

Bus captains will ask for the commuter’s (e.g. those with low vision or dementia) destination and notify the commuter when nearing his/her destination.

 

These identifiers can be obtained from:

• Passenger Service Centres at MRT stations;
• Passenger Service Centres at Bus interchanges; and
• Selected SimplyGo Ticket Offices located at the following MRT stations (Ang Mo Kio, Chinatown, Clementi, Tampines, Woodlands, Yishun) and Bus Interchanges (Ang Mo Kio, Bedok and Jurong East).

The Helping Hand scheme follows positive feedback from LTA’s pilot of the “May I have a seat please” sticker, as well as Go-Ahead Singapore’s subsequent trial. The lanyard designs were adapted from artwork by commuters with disabilities or special needs through an art competition jointly organised by LTA and a youth group, the Movement of Inclusivity.

We hope that commuters can look out for each other and assist those who are wearing the lanyard and cards or stickers. Likewise, for commuters who were offered assistance, showing appreciation will encourage others to be more gracious and caring.

Go-To Points (GTPs) are touch points within the community that serve as resource centres to provide information and useful resources on dementia. Led by the Ministry of Health (MOH), Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) and community partners, this Dementia-Friendly Singapore initiative will link those who need help with the relevant dementia-related services. GTPs also serve as “safe-return” points where members of the public can bring persons with dementia who may appear lost and are unable to identify themselves or their way home. All public transport nodes are Dementia GTPs.

Should anyone find a lost commuter with dementia, please alert the public transport operator staff who are trained to help the commuter reunite with his/her next-of-kin.

You may refer to the list of Dementia GTPs for more information.

Caring Commuter Champions is a Volunteer Corps initiated by the Caring SG Commuters Committee. It is led by Public Transport Council (PTC) Chairman and supported by key industry partners including the Land Transport Authority. This initiative encourages commuters to show care and offer assistance to those in need during their daily commute on the public transport network.

Through our focus group engagements with commuters, many have expressed their willingness to assist, but are unaware of what they can do. An online training session or e-learning programme will be provided to those who sign up as Champions, to equip them with the knowledge to understand the challenges faced by the vulnerable commuters and how they can provide the appropriate help. Champions will also receive a badge for easy identification. We hope that these champions will educate and inspire their social circles, and the wider community to foster a more caring commuting culture.

A small act of care can be of a great impact on others.

You can make a difference. Be part of the Caring SG Commuters movement by signing up as a Caring Commuter Champion.

Priority for boarding will be given to the elderly, expectant mothers, families with strollers and commuters with disabilities.

Wait at the Priority Queue zones next to the queues at bus interchanges and MRT/LRT stations.

If the designated wheelchair space on a bus is already occupied, or if the bus is very crowded, strollers will have to be folded and carried on board. PMA users may wait for the next bus with available space.

By 2025, all bus interchanges will feature Priority Queue zones. These designated zones will be located next to boarding berths and fitted with seats for commuters to rest on.

Elderly commuters can look forward to elderly-friendly seats at bus stops, taxi stands, bus interchanges and MRT stations.

Designed with them in mind, the ergonomic seats at bus stops and taxi stands feature armrests that commuters can use to sit and get up with greater ease.

Platform seats in newly-opened MRT stations along the Thomson-East Coast Line and within bus interchange concourse areas, likewise, have backrests and armrests. The colours of these seats were selected to contrast with the surroundings to increase visibility and help to prevent accidents or falls. Seat locations along the bus interchange concourse are optimised as potential resting spots for the elderly.

This elderly-friendly initiative will cater to and support the growing needs of our ageing population.