The Hindu Business Line : Ashok Leyland gifts FunBus on Children's Day

I AM excited," said 24-year-old Sathish, with muscular dystrophy, getting ready for a bus ride through Chennai roads. So, what's special about a bus ride?

One look at the children's faces and you know what makes a ride on FunBus special. Launched by Ashok Leyland, the bus is exclusively for children of orphanages, corporation primary schools and other underprivileged groups. The bus would be available round the year and for free.

The bus, on its maiden trip, carried 22 children, 16 of them wheelchair-bound, from the Department of Paediatric Neurology, Child's Trust Hospital — with cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, developmental delays and motor co-ordination disorders — and their parents to the Chennai airport, where they had their first brush with an aircraft at the hangar.

From there, they headed to the Child's Trust Hospital, for a magic show.

"The bus is our Children's Day gift to the underprivileged children of the city. It would be available only for children in the 6-18 age-group and strictly for under-privileged and disabled children," said Mr J.N. Amrolia, Executive Director - Human Resources, Ashok Leyland.

According to him, the concept took shape when several groups and organisations put forth the need for a bus in Chennai that would cater to the needs of special children, similar to the Magic Bus, in Mumbai.

Mr S. Balakrishnan, President, Muscular Dystrophy Association, a parent support group in Chennai, is happy that there is finally an initiative that would help children with special needs.

The seating layout in the bus has been made keeping in mind the requirements of physically challenged children, besides a hydraulic lift for the wheelchair-bound. The bus has also been provided with extra-padding that makes it shockproof.

Now, it's possible for these children to have an outing, at least once in a while, said Dr V. Viswanathan, Consultant Paediatric Neurologist, Child's Trust Hospital.

The use of the bus has been entrusted to the Rotary Club, Lions Club, Lioness Club and the Child's Trust Hospital. Institutions wanting to use the bus could request any of these organisations with a 48-hour notice.

"If utilisation is optimum — in a year, if the bus runs at least for 250-300 days — we would come out with more such buses," said Mr Amrolia.

More Stories on : Society & Development | Two/Three Wheelers | Tamil Nadu

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