The Wheelchair Riders

El train station at 15th & Market Streets, Philadelphia

For those of you who don't know me personally, it might surprise you to learn that I don't drive and have traveled on public transportation all of my life. When I was growing up, my father was the only driver in the house at the time and the luxury of owning a car was an "on and off" thing for him. As a child, it seemed to me that we had a car for 5-6 years and then, the next 5-6 years we didn't have a car. This pattern of car ownership continued for my father into my early adult life. After I got married and moved out of the house, my mother decided that she wanted to learn how to drive. She wasn't too keen on the idea of my father teaching her how to drive because his level of patience would have been a big issue between them. So, around the mid-1980's, my mother got a driving permit, went to driving school, passed her driving test, and got her driver's license in (what seemed to me) no time. Shortly thereafter, she purchased her first (used) car and my parents consistently had a car from that point on.

During the early years of my marriage, owning a car wasn't exactly at the top of our "things to do" list so again, I went through a prolonged period of time without having access to a car. I could have called on my parents to take me places but, I never wanted to rely on them too much once I became an adult. I really did understand that it was not their responsibility to get me and my family where we needed to go. So, I only called on them when I absolutely had to and public transportation was the mode of travel we used most of the time over the years. This included back and forth to day care with my daughter, back and forth to work, back and forth to the grocery store or any other type of shopping, back and forth to church, back and forth to the movies, etc. When we attended family events (parties, picnics, funerals, graduations, weddings, etc.), other family members were always kind enough to pick us up and take us home. We even took short-distance trips during the summer months to places like Atlantic City, Wildwood, Great Adventure, Dorney Park, Hershey Park, etc. using various modes of public transportation. Surprisingly enough, we really didn't let any grass grow under our feet just because we didn't have a car. We just picked up, packed up, and went wherever we needed or wanted to go without a second thought... and, in spite of the various challenges that we faced using public transportation.

Finally, in 2004, we got our first (used) car from, believe it or not, my mother. By this time, my father had been deceased for two years, mom was on the move, and it was time for her to "upgrade". I must admit that having a car made life a lot easier in a way that I had never "consistently" known before. My husband and I often look back on all of those years when we were raising our daughter without a car and we get "exhausted" just thinking about all of the different things we had to go through to get around. We laugh when we think back on those days and wonder how in the world we did it for so long... and the amazing thing is, it didn't seem to bother us too much at the time. Now that we are 50+ years of age, we know that we could never do all of those things without a car, even if our lives depended on it because we just don't have the energy anymore. But, we reason that when the time was right, God made it happen for us and not a moment too soon. We didn't know it then but, we were going to become grandparents in a couple of years and we shutter to think what our life would have been like, trying to get around with "The Booga Wooga" without a car (smile).

My reason for reflecting on all of this is because I read a disturbing article this past Friday regarding the wheelchair population of disabled persons in the city of Philadelphia who have no other choice for getting around and depend on public transportation. It seems that a group of wheelchair riders staged a protest against SEPTA on last Thursday between 11:00am-1:30pm, which caused the El trains to stop running for approximately 90 minutes from 15th to 40th and Market Streets. This protest temporarily caused other SEPTA riders to use shuttle buses or make other arrangements for getting around. In explanation of the protest, the wheelchair riders have been experiencing problems boarding the El trains at three train stations, in particular, because of the gap in between the platform and the train. The three El stations posing the problem are located at 69th & Market Streets, 30th & Market Streets, and 2nd & Market Streets. The wheelchairs are constantly getting stuck when riders try to enter the train and, despite numerous complaints to SEPTA, nothing has been done to rectify the problem.

While I was reading this article, I learned about a SEPTA policy that I didn't even know existed. I'm sure that there are others that I'm not aware of but, this one struck a nerve with me. Apparently, it is the case that the conductors operating the El trains are supposed to come off of the trains and help wheelchair riders enter the train safely and they have not been doing it. Right off the top of my head, I would say that the reason I didn't know about this policy is because I've never seen any El train conductors do this in all of my years of travel on public transportation here. As to be expected, SEPTA responded that they had not received any complaints before the protest but, promised to make sure that all of its El train conductors are made aware of the policy and adhere to it in the future. A SEPTA spokesperson, Richard Maloney, said... "We assured them that we'll put out a directive to remind them of the policy." One disabled rider from South Philadelphia said that he has relied on the kindness of other riders to help him board the train. I guess this means there is still some "brotherly love" left in this city after all.

I confess to not witnessing a whole lot of wheelchair riders getting on and off the El trains over the years but, I am a constant witness to how they are treated when they board and exit buses. I would have to say that, most of the time, they do receive assistance from SEPTA bus drivers. However, I have also seen instances where some bus drivers drove by and did not stop to pick them up, even during inclement weather. On other occasions, I have seen bus drivers pick them up but, not assist them properly once they were on the bus by securing and stabilizing their wheelchair, etc. There have even been some occasions in which the other riders on the bus have been impatient and nasty to wheelchair riders. So basically, if you are disabled and need assistance, your commuting experience on public transportation in Philadelphia depends on the mood, personality, temperament, and tolerance level of the SEPTA employee operating the vehicle and not necessarily on any policies, rules, regulations, etc. that the organization may have in place to protect you as a disabled rider.

Because I don't drive and, even now, it's not always feasible for me to go some place in a car for various reasons, I thank God that my life is of such that I can still get around pretty well on my own two legs when necessary and board buses, trains, and trollies without assistance. And, most recently, I am thankful that we were able to make the move from having a used car to a relatively new one... so, God is still (very much) in the blessing business. But, I will never forget the many, many years that I/we totally relied on public transportation to get around and how different and difficult that experience would have been if we were disabled and had to get around in wheelchair.

I sincerely hope that the wheelchair riders win this battle and, hopefully, receive the assistance and consideration that they need to make their commuting experience as pleasant and dignified as humanly as possible. I would imagine that this would not only be a victory for them, but for all disabled persons who depend on public transportation. Perhaps, a simple solution would be for SEPTA to invest a few dollars in repairs to lessen the gap in between the platforms and the trains at the three stations in question. Given the fact that they still hold the title for being "the most expensive transportation system" in the country, I don't think that these few modifications are too much for their riders to expect in return. In the meantime, I pray that no one is seriously injured or, God forbid, killed before SEPTA solves this problem (which is usually what happens). Even one life further mamed or lost is totally inexcusable.