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Hi @CityofStJohns, just a quick note. I’ve relied heavily on public transit since I moved to NL almost a decade ago. It was how I got to and from work, grocery shopping, doctors appointments, etc. because I did not own and could not afford a car.
While living in #CowanHeights, I frequently had @MetrobusTransit drivers who would blast down Frecker drive, passing my stop early (even when I was there 20+ min ahead) and parking down by WalMart. So I would wait for the next one, in the snow, rain, whatever, because I had to.
At that time, we needed more money for the transit system so there were enough drivers on every route, and reliable routes to get people like me where I needed to go (usually, for food or to my job).
Never mind when I lived in Airport Heights and the bus came by a handful of times a day. Scheduling off most of a day so you can run simple errands was inconvenient and often not possible for me.
Yes, @MetrobusTransit isn’t the best transit system in the country, but gutting it is going to make it worse. I can vividly imagine the panic people must be feeling over reconfiguring their lives so they can get to work/appointments/etc. on time.
This is a public service that must be accessible to everyone at every time of year. Cutting four of the most used routes is unhelpful and puts a lot of people’s ability to get around town at risk.
For many people, it’s not as simple as “just call a cab”. For me, those were luxury or in case of emergency options. 95% of the time, I had to rely on the bus.
Thank you to @mmburton and @ianfroude for speaking out on this issue. @DannyBreenNL @Sheilagholeary @DeanneStapleto2 @jamiekorab @DebbieHanlon1 @DaveLaneTweets and the rest who don’t seem to have Twitter, do better. Find the money somewhere else and consider the wider population.
I expect people who are elected by a community to put that community first. It’s your job.
