CARE Bus Initiative

A little graciousness goes a long way to make commuting more pleasant and enjoyable.?To foster a more caring commuting culture, Go-Ahead Singapore, and the Caring SG Commuters Committee, in partnership with the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore School (CPASS), launched a CARE Bus initiative to raise public awareness of the needs and challenges faced by persons with disabilities (e.g., cerebral palsy) during their public transport commute as part of the Caring SG Commuters movement.?The initiative is supported by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the Public Transport Council (PTC).

Ms. Janet Ang, Chairperson of PTC and Chairperson for Caring SG Commuters Committee, Mrs Koh-Lim Ai Lay, School Principal at CPASS, students and teachers from both CPASS and Tampines Meridian Junior College (TMJC), representatives from LTA, PTC, and the Caring SG Commuters Committee, were present at the launch event at the Pasir Ris Bus Interchange operated by Go-Ahead Singapore.

As part of the initiative, illustrations hand drawn by CPASS students depicting a caring and inclusive commuting culture – where commuters and bus captains extend their helping hands to those who require assistance during their journey – are displayed on the exterior of Service 358 which serves the Pasir Ris precinct, including CPASS, as well as on bus stop displays opposite and outside of CPASS.

The design concept is adapted from the artworks designed by three CPASS students – 17-year-old Yan Jia Yi, 16-year-old Aloysius Gan, and 13-year-old Asher. ?Jia Yi’s design featured a bus captain wheeling a student up the bus, and Aloysius illustrated a CPASS student showing a helping hand card to the bus captain, while Asher drew a commuter with mobility impairment navigating his way in the bus. The illustrations are accompanied by speech bubbles such as “May I help you up the bus?”, “Thank you for giving me a space to move around.”, and “Even though I use a mobility aid, I think and feel the same as everyone else.”.

Commenting on the initiative, our Managing Director Andrew Thompson said: “The CARE Bus initiative encourages respect and assistance to commuters who need more care and attention in their commute. It also provides a platform for students with special needs to showcase their talent.”

Apart from the CARE Bus initiative, we have rolled out initiatives that support inclusion such as public workshops on inclusivity, a designated Heart Zone in the bus interchange where people can sit down to rest and seek help when required, and a community wall that displays the works of artists with disabilities.