When accessible buses aren't, and about "woke" Communauto

I hate anything touristy although sometimes things can’t be avoided. Obviously just being in central London or at the Eiffel Tower, Times Square or the Roman Colosseum makes – de facto – anyone including locals a tourist. (Locals tend to avoid them.) And one of the most touristy things is the ubiquitous hop on hop off buses that now populate virtually any major tourist locale, from New York to London, Berlin to Athens. Did I say Athens? Earlier this month my partner, who is disabled and uses a wheelchair, and I tried to access the Big Bus version of the hop-on-hop-offs. There are three companies in Athens offering the service. Big Bus is a brand ubiquitous around the world. The only reason we chose to use this very “touristy” service is because of my partner’s disability. She cannot travel far in a wheelchair and the streets in a city like Athens are deplorable, with cracked, decayed and uneven sidewalks, varying surfaces, narrow and often blocked by trees or grates, so bad even many locals walk on the street. Moreover, we use hop on services in cities where it simply is impractical for a disabled person to otherwise move around. They after all do offer visitors exposure to the city’s iconic sites. My partner wouldn’t have been able to see them, or get a feel for the city, otherwise. So, buy a three-day ticket (one of three routes each day) I did at a price of 64 euros ($104.45 CAD at today’s exchange). My complaint is about the buses’ so-called accessibility. They are supposed to be wheelchair friendly. The first bus on the first route we took was indeed that, with a door ramp and an open area for a wheelchair with a functioning strap which stretched across the wheelchair occupant though there were no floor tie downs. That’s okay – I stood and braced her for the hour-long trip around central Athens though technically I

shouldn’t have had to do that. The next day we tried for the second route along the so-called Athens Riviera, a long stretch of beaches along the Med coast south of the Classic City. Besides the fact the bus was 20 minutes late for the 3 pm departure (afternoon traffic we were told) the bus did indeed have a ramp but, alas, the belt strap was broken. BUZZ! So, we had to get off. Since the next bus on that route was an hour away, we thought we’d take the alternative bus route to Piraeus, the city’s port and largest on the Med. The bus arrives; the ramp came down but this time there was an interior “platform” for the wheelchair (pic). How on earth could a wheelchair possibly go up a platform; it defied logic. We didn’t even board and gave up taking a bus that day. The next day we tried once again. This time we just tried to get on the first accessible bus regardless of route and managed to get on one to Piraeus – a big yay! But again, I had to stand and brace my companion. We did complain fully, yet politely and in good humor, to Big Bus staff at the stop, who apologized and said these were “older” buses with only a couple in the fleet (we counted three). Upon arriving home in Canada after our two-week sojourn in Athens (a city that I love and seems like a second or third home), I contacted the company. They apologized and offered a credit for a Big Bus tour in another city. No dice: I wanted a full refund. They quickly sent a form to fill out and I’m awaiting credit to my Mastercard.

I’m a frequent visitor to Montreal and have always admired that city’s shared vehicle company Communauto (logo left), also available in some other cities. Sometimes I drive to Montreal and other times fly like I plan to do next month, leaving me without a car.  I thought I’d join Communauto since it provides a convenient way to get around without dealing with taxis. So, I applied. The very first question was how I wanted to be identified: he/him, she/her, they/them. I’ve never encountered such a “woke” gender identity question from a major company before but maybe I shouldn’t be surprised since the company has “commun” in the name (insert smile face). I called the company and asked if there was a way of getting around this since I couldn't join without answering it and told unfortunately, there isn’t but they would review it. I will not capitulate to woke nomenclature and besides even if I agreed why would I want anyone to know my identity? Ridiculous but they’re not getting my business.

Athens, agapi mou (my love), a challenge for anyone not able-bodied

I love Athens and have been there three times, once for almost two months, almost making me feel like a regular citizen! I returned recently with my partner, who is disabled and uses a wheelchair. We knew that Athens is old (well, surprise!). And I thought I'd known the infrastructure better than it is. We also surveyed, online, our exquisite neighborhood immediately south of the Acropolis, thinking the sidewalks were in better shape than they actually are. Well, in reality, in many respects they are deplorable - uneven, crumbling, narrow and often obstructed by trees or drains, with no curb cuts on certain blocks and those that do exist often corroded with gaps between sidewalk and streets.  I'm not really complaining about this though there's no question the situation should be improved. We tried the best we could to handle the streetscapes. This included travelling on the streets themselves including our busy street, trying to walk against traffic and squeeze to the side of the road or ducking between cars to avoid large vehicles. We weren't unique; many Athenians routinely walk on the streets rather than the haphazard, decayed and uneven sidewalks. Moreover, because of the lack of curb cuts on our block we often relied on the kindness of strangers to help my partner get from the sidewalk on to the street and into her wheelchair. That aside, we were surprised, even shocked, by one glaring inaccessible tourist site. This of course was the iconic historical Parthenon atop the 2500 year old built Acropolis, considered, of course, the cradle of Western civilization. I'd been up there previously. My partner wanted to visit for the first time. We'd also read that the site had installed a spiffy new elevator on the hill's north side, courtesy in part of the,

yes, Onassis Foundation. Says one website, the elevator makes "one of Athens' most iconic landmarks accessible to visitors with limited mobility, people with disabilities, elderly tourists, and parents with small children." The only problem is that it doesn't. Sure, the elevator itself whisks people - room for two wheelchairs and two attendants - to the top in 32 seconds, offering a glassed-in panoramic view of the city as it rises. The problem is you have to get to it. I'd originally though the lift would be built from street level to the top. But it isn't. It's base is partly up the premonitory. Getting there is the nut to crack. One must traverse cobblestoned or uneven large stone walkways winding around the Acropolis rising continually until you get to the western side ticket office. Only then, and again slightly uphill, are there the turnstiles and a small fleet of golf carts to take the disabled person further on to the lift's base. I posted on an Athens facebook page about this and while most comments were supportive I was surprised by some who thought we wanted to visit something akin to "Disneyworld" or the site be like a "McDonald's drive-thru." It would be interesting what these people would say if they were in my partner's position, with almost no core strength and not able to walk one step without two canes and few steps beyond. My solution: there should be vehicles (golfcarts, if you will, or the sturdier kind of three-row assist carts found in airports) taking the disabled from all the ground ticket offices - regardless of their location -  right up the hill to the elevator itself.