FLONE initiative which has been in since existence since 2011 have under the leadership of the Executive Director Naomi Mwaura who is also a TED speaker today held a conference in Nairobi, Westland at Park Inn with an aim of creating awareness for Women and Person With Disabilities in the transport sector.
Some of the issue that were raised at the conference included stigma, undignified handling, double charging and language appropriateness with the Matatu and Boda Boda sector being in the lime light as the majority perpetrators.
The Boda Boda sector in response to the issue laid, have shared their ongoing campaign to ensure that all the Boda Boda operator in the country are registered under a Sacco to help them tame the majority of school dropouts that join the industry without proper training and driving license; a measure that the committee says will also reduce the stigma and treatment imposed on PWDs.
The sector also gave directives that Boda Boda operators will have a digital plate with a QR code that can be scanned to know the areas they are from, with an addition of color coding that will be added to differentiate from the areas they work in.
The Boda Boda sector also urged FLONE together with National Council of Person With Disabilities to review the policies that allow them to charge any body above the age of 12 year old so that PWDs don’t end up complaining that they are double charged.
As a milestone FLONE also celebrated the step the matatu is taking as part of inclusion by reducing the number of seats from 51 seats to 46 seats so as to accommodate PWDs.
The conference transport stakeholder also raised concern about the NTSA requirement for buses not have the bag carriers that would be used to keep the crutches, the limited footpaths in terminus and Nairobi county and flyovers as way of assisting PWDs locomote with ease.