Identifying Barriers to the Public Transport Accessibility for Disabled People in Dhaka: A Qualitative Analysis

This paper identified the barriers disabled experience in their daily lives using public transport as their travel means in Dhaka. A qualitative investigation of empirical data provides the framework for understanding passengers’ experiences with public transport to deal with barriers. In the city of Dhaka, a focus group discussion (FGD) was held with a group of 34 disabled persons. They shared their perceived barriers from their own experiences with public transport. The barriers I found were negative attitudes by drivers, misplacement of priority seats, unfriendly built environment, high cost of travel, imperfect design inside vehicles, prejudice and discriminatory attitude by other passengers, deficient levelling on transport infrastructure, long-distance between the transport stops/terminals and home, the profit-making tendency by transit boss, absence of audio support for the visually impaired, blockage in the footpath, fears of accidents and traffic injuries and wet or nasty weather. Then I suggested how we could solve their problems by increasing mobility, transport accessibility, social engagement, friendly attitude towards them, community or societal integration, and changing deep-rooted false cultural perception as well as prejudice. More research and studies are recommended to explore the accessibility challenges faced by people with disabilities in Dhaka using public transport.