Wacky Wednesday Blues
Wednesdays are exactly in the middle of any given week. One usually will be in tune with one’s weekly routine unlike Mondays which are usually just a boring drag. Many people just literally tolerate Mondays. Tuesdays are more bearable and Wednesdays are enjoyable. On this Wednesday morning everything that could have gone wrong went wrong and it felt like Monday all over again!
The writer woke up later than usual for no apparent reason. Upon waking up his better half was in a rather chatty mood which further delayed the writer who was running late already. Despite all the setbacks the writer eventually managed to pull himself together. He took a bath, had breakfast and was off to the office down the usual route. The writer routinely drives down Samora Machel Avenue on his way to the office. Those who are not familiar with Samora Machel Avenue should note that this is the main road in Harare which runs from Harare East to Harare West. It is indeed a busy road that is always bustling with traffic during the greater part of most days. This Wednesday was no different in terms of traffic.
While driving down Samora Machel and occupying his mind with how behind schedule he was, the writer noticed a lone man standing at a bus stop on the side of the road. The first instinct that came to the writer’s mind was just to drive past him as he usually does not give rides to travelers. When he got close to the lone man at the bus stop the writer noticed that the lone man had dark sunglasses and a long white cane which is usually characteristic of people with visual impairment. The writer without a second thought immediately stopped at the bus stop and offered this lone man a ride.
Tony got into the vehicle and introduced himself as a gainfully employed graduate. Upon quizzing by the writer, Tony indicated that he had been waiting for transport for over an hour with no luck. He mentioned that many would-be transporters would stop, wait a bit and eventually leave him given that he would take too long to board the vehicle. Tony went on to mention that this was not an isolated incident but rather a recurrent episode in his life.
Later in the day when the writer was settled and had completed some tasks, he took time to reflect on Tony’s perpetual transport blues. Recently, the Zimbabwean Government launched a National Disability Policy. One clause which is closely related to this incident reads as follows;
“3.15.8 Refusal to ferry persons with disabilities within the public transport system (in-country road) on the basis of disability is an offense”
Some questions which came to the writer’s mind while pondering this issue were;
- How many public buses passed Tony by while he was standing at the bus stop?
- Were all the buses that passed Tony absolutely full to the brim?
- Did the public transport operators deliberately leave Tony behind?
- Are public transport operators aware of the new National Disabililty Policy?
- How can Tony and others with limitations be assisted to access transportation on equal basis with others?
What are your thoughts on this issue? Please share them in the comments section.