– Sorry – VG

Sander Rognlien Pettersen from Bærums Verk was born with spina bifida and is therefore wheelchair dependent. Several times in the last six months he has been denied boarding the bus.

– Bus drivers justify it with the fact that they cannot hold their wheelchair and wear aids due to infection control, says mother Janne Rognlien Stensrud (39) to VG.

– They also say that you must bring a companion, but it does not say anything that you must bring a companion to get on the bus in Ruter regulations, it continues

The case was first mentioned by TV 2.

The bus driver did not pull out the ramp

The mother says that the son relies on public transportation in his spare time.

On Wednesday of this week, Sander and the support contact were on their way home from the theater. They decided to take the bus from Sandvika to Bærums Verk. When Sander asked the bus driver if he could get the ramp out, he got the answer that it wasn’t possible, he says.

– I asked him why, and then he said it was because I didn’t have a partner with me, but I did have a partner with me, says Sander.

The 17-year-old is then reportedly told that the support contact had to remove the ramp and that this was not something the bus driver could do for infection control reasons.

In the end, Sander got on the bus anyway, but he doesn’t think that would have been the case if the support contact hadn’t been with him.

Routes: – Breach of routines

Here, the bus driver has made a mistake, confirms the press officer in Ruter, Øystein Dahl Johansen in Ruter. He writes to VG that they are taking the incident seriously.

– Based on what has been described, we believe that this is a violation of our routines. We will raise it with the corresponding operator. Throughout the guidelines, it has been clearly outlined in the guidelines that the bus driver must remove the ramp for people in wheelchairs to get on board the buses, he writes.

At the same time, public transport is in demanding overtime due to infection control, recalls the public transport company.

– The guidelines so far are therefore that the bus driver cannot assist in placing the wheelchair inside the bus. If you do not have the opportunity to secure the wheelchair on your own or need other assistance, we recommend that you have a companion, writes the press officer.

Ruter emphasizes that customers in wheelchairs should never have to stay at the stop.

– We are in the process of changing routines, it will take some time. In the future, the driver will ensure that Ruter is contacted so that taxis are requested and the customer will be notified when they arrive before the bus leaves the stop.

– Stomach hurts

Mamma Janne tells VG that this is not the first time that the son has experienced unpleasant episodes related to bus travel.

– Of course I get angry when I’m not allowed to get on the bus, says Sander.

– You have come so far that you no longer want to take the bus. He says his stomach hurts every time he has to take the bus, says mother Janne.

Complains to Ruter

He has sent a letter of complaint to the public transport company, where he tells of the incident.

– I have also complained several times about the same, but it does not improve. We got an apology, but that stops him, he says.

– What are you asking them specifically?

– Improvement among bus drivers and that they are clearly informed that they cannot discriminate against people with developmental disabilities, says Stensrud.

– Wait for infection control team

– At the beginning of the pandemic, some bus companies refused to allow drivers to trace the ramp. We have also seen some examples of drivers operating by their own rules, excluded. This was organized after national guidelines for public transport existed, writes Magnhild Sørbotten, deputy leader of the Norwegian Association for the Disabled.

Here it was specified that it was the driver’s responsibility to remove the ramp and that this was not problematic in terms of infection, he says. However, placing wheelchairs on regional buses requires a shorter distance. Because at the time (at the beginning of the pandemic editor’s note) there were significant problems with getting hold of the infection control equipment, it was decided that wheelchair users who were unable to fasten their harnesses on their own should Bring your own companion who can fasten the harnesses.

If this is not possible, companies will request alternative transportation.

– The possibilities of obtaining infection control kits are now completely different. Next, we expect companies to follow the work environment law and provide the necessary infection control equipment for their drivers. Wheelchair users have just as legitimate reasons to ride public transport as everyone else, says Sørbotten.