"Why make it even harder?": Alma and her service dog injured on a bus

Alma Sirur, 24, boarded a bus this morning, line 25 of the "Dan" company from Tel Aviv to Holon, together with Mishmish, the service dog that accompanies her. Within minutes, both were thrown onto the bus floor, sustaining minor injuries.

"It could have ended completely differently. He was driving like a maniac, at high speed and in an unsafe manner. An elderly woman who was next to me stumbled and another woman with a baby carriage lost her balance," she says.

When Alma got up, she commented to the driver, who instead of apologizing, reacted nervously and was unwilling to open the bus doors for her to get off. "I don't know what he was trying to do, probably threaten me. I yelled at him, and out of shock I started to cry."

For Alma, who deals with a mental disability, such an event crushes her sense of security. "Every exit to the public space involves an effort for me. For a person with a struggle like mine, going out into the public space is already stepping out of the comfort zone, so why make it even harder?" Mishmish, the service dog, is her "eyes, ears, hands and feet." She relies on her almost everywhere: "She is my wheelchair. If she had been injured more seriously, she could have been rendered unfit for service. Why is this happening because a bus driver is not driving as he should?"

The Dan company responded: "The company views with the utmost severity any complaint about offensive or discriminatory treatment by a driver. The incident was handled immediately. A conversation was held with the complainant, and an expedited application procedure to Dan's insurance has been initiated for the dog, in case it is needed. The driver was summoned for tomorrow morning to present his version of the event. If it is found that he acted contrary to the company's values, appropriate measures will be taken."