A couple of months ago, a senior citizen suffered multiple fractures as a result of a fall at Chennai airport. If you think that he slipped on a highly polished floor at the airport lounge or on a wet surface in the washroom, you are mistaken. The accident happened while he was trying to board the airport bus that was to transfer passengers from the airport terminal to the aircraft.

If you see the kind of buses that airlines deploy at airports these days, this piece of news should not come as a surprise. I do not know whose bright idea it was to get these kinds of buses, but at many airports I find buses that require passengers to climb several steep steps in order to board the bus. And I find passengers with heavy hand baggage, struggling to climb up. It is particularly tough for senior citizens and women carrying babies in their arms. How can such buses be ever pressed into service at airports? The use of such buses speak volumes about the insensitivity of the airline industry and also that of the government that regulates the industry.

In fact, airports should completely eliminate bus shuttles on the airfield and provide aerobridges for safe movement of passengers from and into the aircraft. Now, if that is not possible, the least that can be done is to provide buses that have low floors and are easy to board. Many of the modern-day low floor buses have kneeling suspension that allows the floor to be lowered almost to the road level so that those on wheelchairs can board the bus easily. Passengers can also pull their baggage on board the bus without much sweat.

So we, as consumers, now need to ensure that such buses that are not consumer friendly or safe are not pressed into service and incidents like the one that happened at Chennai airport are prevented. So whenever you come across such buses, please do write a formal complaint to the civil aviation ministry and the airline concerned, demanding that such buses be withdrawn.

It is only such pressure that will force the airline industry and the aviation authorities to realise that they have a responsibility towards ensuring the safety of every passenger, particularly those who may suffer from certain disadvantages, and make our airports a better and safer place.