In November 2024, my mom came to visit me in Kelowna. It was her first time visiting Kelowna, apart from dropping me off for my first year in 2023. My mother has always struggled with public transportation because of limited mobility in her legs, making it difficult for her to walk long distances. From day one of our trip, it was clear that Kelowna would not be the most accommodating to her. 

‍

Of course, I knew that public transit in Kelowna was bad. But the reality of how much worse it was for people with disabilities struck me during my mother’s visit. One day during the trip, to avoid making my mom walk an extra 10 minutes to the next bus stop, we took a bus route I had never used.  When we arrived at the next stop, route 8 to UBCO, the bus stopped for a wheelchair user. 

‍

The wheelchair ramp didn’t come out, and once it did, it didn’t go back in again, so the passengers on the bus were stuck for the next 20 minutes. Eventually, everyone (including my mom and me) got off the bus and started to make alternative plans. However, the wheelchair user could not get off the bus, and there didn’t seem to be any help on the way. 

‍

We left, not knowing what would happen to the wheelchair user. My mom, on our walk to the next bus stop, said she was scared of having to be in a wheelchair because of her legs one day, because of situations like this. 

‍

The lack of autonomy, she said, is scary. It shouldn’t be this way. If something like that happened to me, and I couldn’t move, no one would be able to help me. I’d be stuck. 

‍

This lack of accessibility is a familiar story in Kelowna. Although the BC Transit website says that their buses are “mobility aid friendly” with a ramp, I and others know from experience that these ramps don’t always work. Even when they do, wheelchair users have reported unsafe conditions on the bus, as detailed in the Kelowna Accessibility Draft Plan, prepared by the city of Kelowna.

‍

In October 2024, Kelowna resident Randy Millis talked to Global News about his experience on BC Transit as a wheelchair user. From not receiving assistance from bus drivers when he asked to be secured, which led to him crashing into another wheelchair user, to bus drivers refusing to put the ramp down for him, Millis is concerned about how many other people this could be happening to. 

‍

Around 20.5% of people living in British Columbia between the ages of 15 and 64 have a disability, which includes a sizable portion of them in Kelowna, too. Their existence is not negligible. This fact can be highlighted even further when we note that not all physical disabilities are visible, taking the form of chronic pain, and even temporary disabilities. 

‍

Public transit is inaccessible due to disability and mobility-related issues, which also impacts students at UBCO, especially with the morning and evening rush of other Kelowna residents. However, the student-dominant bus routes pose a very particular issue. 

‍

Bus route 84 to Academy Way is almost always crowded, inaccessible, and unsafe in certain situations. Due to the limited timings of the bus, especially when going up the hill, students are packed tightly into the bus and often push and shove each other to get a seat or even just to get onto the bus.  A UBCO student who lives on Academy says:

‍

 “The pushing on the bus at 2:05, 5:30, and 8:05 is absurd. We all want to get home, and the fact that there’s only one bus that’ll be serviced for hours at a time means we are all fighting for a spot on the bus.”

‍

As someone who lives on Academy Way, I know that pushing on the bus results from limited bus availability. If you miss the 8 PM bus up the hill, the next bus is two hours later at 10 PM. These limited hours create a lot of competition to get onto the bus. However, these student concerns about reliable bus timings must also include disability. 

‍

I have often watched students push forward in front of other students with mobility aids and crutches, leaving them to stand while others take the accessible seats. Other times, to fit in all the passengers, bus drivers have told students to keep the accessible seats closed so that more people can jam in together. 

‍

This isn’t to point fingers at other students or the bus drivers, but to demonstrate how disability is often pushed to the side. While advocating for better public transportation, it is important to remember how disabled bodies are treated in public spaces and work towards a better solution that aligns with that.