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BLIND BUS DRIVERS

It was a real shock to me when I first was told that blind bus drivers were a reality. I could not believe that anybody would actually hire a blind person to be a bus driver. A taxi driver, maybe, but not a bus driver. Sure enough, when I went down to the BBDTC (Blind Bus Drivers Training Centre) to see how this phenomenon is worked, I actually saw people training blind people to drive.

I was simply amazed to see all of the new gadgets that had been invented to make the job easier. There were braille traffic signs and braille stop signals. I was told by an officer that these were still in the testing stages but as soon as a method was discovered to use them without having the driver stop, get out, and touch each sign, they would be put into operation. Currently, the seeing eye drivers are working out quite well. A sighted driver sits next to the blind driver and yells out commands like STOP, TURN, SLOW DOWN, etc.

In my opinion, the civil rights people have gone one step too far. I don't think I'll ever quite get used to being driven around town in a bus by a blind driver. I'm still adjusting to flying with blind airline pilots.