Slacks Creek resident Kat was waiting for the 555 bus at Springwood station last month when passengers began filing past her and onto the service.
As a wheelchair user, Kat waited near the front door so the driver could lower the accessibility ramp and help her board.
But on this occasion, she said the driver allowed other commuters to board first before telling her the bus was full.
“I was waiting at the door, but everybody else just went on in front of me,” Kat said.
“He just let everybody else come on.”
Kat said once most passengers had boarded, the driver told her to wait for the next service.
“He was just like, ‘Oh, now we’re full now’,” she said. “I’m like, ‘But you just let everyone else on in front of me.’”
Kat said she became upset after the exchange because she was trying to reach an appointment scheduled for 11am.
“It did put super stress on me,” she said. “It’s not an appointment that you can just change.”
An older woman and a mother travelling with children were also left behind after waiting for Kat to board before attempting to get on themselves.
Kat said the older woman stayed with her while they waited for the next bus.
“She was like, ‘I’ll wait for the next bus with you, and I’ll make sure you get on,’” Kat said.
“She was really the only one who actually cared.”
Kat said experiences like this were becoming increasingly common on public transport.
“People don’t really seem to care,” she said. “I think they’re in maybe their own little world.”
Chief executive officer of ADA Australia, Geoff Rowe, said the organisation regularly heard from Queenslanders with disabilities who struggled to access public transport.
“We’re getting feedback from people right across Queensland,” Mr Rowe said. “It’s not an uncommon situation.”
He said both transport operators and the broader public had a responsibility to be more aware of vulnerable passengers.
“In the current generation we’re in, people tend to look after themselves first and worry about others later,” Mr Rowe said.
“As human beings, we should be watching out for each other and should be considerate of those who need a little bit of extra help.”
Mr Rowe said acts that might appear small could have a major impact on a person’s independence.
“We know nothing about the person that we are stopping from accessing the bus,” he said.
“They could be on the way to a doctor’s appointment, to a hospital appointment, to a job interview, or even they’re going to work themselves.”
Mr Rowe said bus drivers should be empowered to prioritise wheelchair users’ boarding services with limited accessible spaces.
“The driver can say, ‘The person in the wheelchair needs to come in first, and then I can deal with the rest of you,” Mr Rowe said.
After the incident, Kat and her mother lodged a complaint with the bus operator, Clarks Logan City Bus Service.
Kat said a staff member later apologised and told her the driver’s actions were wrong, but explained the company could no longer prioritise wheelchair users because of concerns around hidden disabilities.
The experience has changed how Kat travels around Logan.
Rather than catching the 555 from Springwood, Kat now travels further to Eight Mile Plains bus station in Brisbane, where she has more transport options available.
“It is a bit further away for me, but it’s less stressful,” she said.
Clarks Logan City Bus Service was asked to comment.
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