In Minsk, there are many trolleybuses of the AKSM-321 model. I won't say that I use them every day, but quite often I rely on them to get around the city. Have you noticed the ratio of spaces for disabled people compared to regular seats in this model of trolleybus? There are 8 spaces for disabled people and 18 regular seats, making a total of 26 seats. Now let's calculate the percentage ratio. The number 8 out of 26 is 30.77%, while 18 out of 26 is 69.23%, which adds up to 100%. Thus, we find that the spaces for disabled people make up nearly one-third of the trolleybus.
Is it really true that they created seats and disabled tags for those seats? I think we have about one in three people as disabled, which seems a bit excessive. And have you ever seen more than 2-3 disabled people traveling on public transport at the same time? I don't think so. Of course, the term "disabled" is quite broad, and you might say that these seats are also for seniors, and you would be partly right. However, there is nothing mentioned about seniors on the sign. But the superstition of people certainly plays a significant role. I wouldn't have published this note from my thoughts into a blog if I hadn't observed the same picture over and over again. Rush hour (or something close to it). All the regular seats are occupied. There are about 11-13 people standing in the transport, evenly distributed throughout, yet there are always 2-4 spaces for disabled people that remain unoccupied. I don't know why people tend to sit in these spots less often, but it's a fact. If I were to seek an answer specifically in my mind, it would sound something like this: "If I were tired from the day, I would sit in a regular seat. A disabled seat? I think I'll stand." I believe many other people have a similar logic, which is why we often see that seated spaces, even if marked with a special sticker, are not always filled, and when they are, they are filled a bit less than the regular unmarked seats.
