Blind woman upset by rude bus driver
He didn’t take my money and just stared at me and then said, ‘Yeah, you’re not blind, are you?’ which took me aback. Megan Johnston Blind bus passenger
A blind bus passenger was left humiliated and in tears after a bus driver refused to give her a discount because he thought she was faking it.
Megan Johnston, 28, of Wellington, has extreme tunnel vision. She cannot drive and relies on public transport.
She has an NZ Bus blind person’s pass, which entitles her to travel on child or concessionary fares.
When she boarded the No 10 leaving Newtown Park on Tuesday afternoon, with her cane folded under her arm, she gave the driver $2 and presented him with her pass.
‘‘He didn’t take my money and just stared at me and then said, ‘Yeah, you’re not blind, are you?’ which took me aback,’’ she said.
He then asked other passengers on the bus whether they thought she was blind.
‘‘I was already extremely offended that he would not take my money. At this stage, I just burst into tears and jumped off the bus.’’
She urged people not to stereotype blind people by their appearance. ‘‘Just because I wear makeup and care about what I look like doesn’t mean I don’t struggle with my disability. I should not be judged for this.’’
She described the driver as tall, white, and with light-coloured hair.
She complained to Metlink, which runs Wellington’s transport network, but felt its response added insult to injury. ‘‘The person taking the message said they would call me back in the next few weeks.’’
Blind Foundation spokeswoman Deborah Ward said the treatment of Johnston by the Go Wellington bus driver was ‘‘appalling’’. Such incidents happened occasionally, which was why it worked with transport companies on training drivers.
‘‘Anyone who needs or wishes to use public transport should be able to.’’
Go Wellington is part of NZ Bus, the company that issues the concessionary passes to people enrolled with the Blind Foundation.
Tonia Haskell, its southern chief operations officer, said the company had been in touch with Johnston to apologise.
‘‘This behaviour is unacceptable. We have identified the driver and will inves- tigate the incident fully, and take the appropriate steps.’’
NZ Bus had training programmes in place that taught its drivers how to work with people with disabilities, and sending the driver in question for retraining was an option, she said. ‘‘Our buses are part of a vital public service for transporting passengers with impairments and disabilities, and we take that responsibility seriously.
‘‘This incident will serve as a reminder to all our team about the importance of looking after our community.’’
Kevin O’Sullivan, secretary of the Wellington branch of the Tramways Union, which represents bus drivers, was unaware of the incident. However, anyone who was blind should be allowed on to a bus, he said.