Man says JTA denied him access to public buses
JACKSON, Tenn. — Clarence Brown-Idare says he was denied access to the public bus system in Jackson because of his stroller that he takes with him around town. “She just drove off and left me on the sidewalk,” Brown-Idare said. He uses it to carry his daily necessities and to keep his balance after a surgery he had last month that doesn’t allow him to walk as well as he used to. On Saturday, he was denied access to the Jackson Transit Authority bus system – the driver telling him he couldn’t board with a stroller and she was completely backed by her supervisors. “I don’t see the problem, and anybody with any sense would look at this stroller and say, ‘What’s the problem?'” Brown-Idare said. JTA officials said it wasn’t the stroller but how he was using it. They say Brown-Idare was hauling trash and it was causing a problem for other passengers. But Brown-Idare said the bus driver told him it was because the stroller wasn’t authorized to put on the bus. He told WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News he uses his stroller to pick up scraps and cans to turn in and recycle. “I appreciate the service that I’ve gotten through the years, but I need help now,” Brown-Idare said. JTA said they’re going to take another look at the stroller and may let him bring it onto the bus in the future.
