Bad accessibility experiences for wheelchair users when taking public transport can happen all too often, and now four aggrieved people in Mechelen have decided to take transport company De Lijn to court with discrimination claims, Mediahuis outlets report.
According to De Standaard who was able to see the summons, the case involves 13 separate incidents that occurred between March 2019 and November 2022. The case begins on Monday in the civil court of Mechelen, where De Lijn is headquartered. It is the first formal hearing, with the hearing likely to follow in the autumn. Unia, the inter-federal centre for equal opportunities and combating discrimination and racism, is supporting the case.
In some cases, drivers refused to stop when a person signalled for them to do so. Or in other cases, they stop but drive off without letting on the wheelchair user. The claims also extend to the bar needed to open the ramp for wheelchair access was not turned on, or the driver did not know how to use the bar. Another driver even falsely claimed that electric wheelchairs are not allowed on the buses.
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The plaintiffs ask that, should De Lijn be convicted, the company set up a committee within a month to deal with complaints involving people with disabilities, which should effectively include representatives of passengers with disabilities. Every wheelchair user would also receive moral damages of €650 per incident and every bus would have to carry a bar for the ramp.
The spokesperson for Flemish Mobility Minister Lydia Peeters said the cabinet would "follow up the case closely". The minister will see if she can invite Unia and the others involved to tell their stories.
