Seniors protest OC Transpo cuts
Posted Aug 3, 2011 02:35:03 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A group of seniors gathered on McEwen Avenue on Wednesday morning to protest OC Transpo’s looming bus cuts in the area.
In September OC Transpo is cutting route 156, a bus that neighbourhood seniors said they rely on everyday.
When the route is cut, seniors will have two options. They can wait for the bus number two which has been reduced to nine trips a day or they can walk 20 minutes to Carling Avenue.
Seniors in the area said they will feel depressed, helpless and isolated without the 156 bus.
“If you’ve got an appointment at 8 o’clock and the next bus is at 11, what are you supposed to do,” said Evelyn. “It’s crazy!”
Others said walking to a different bus is not an option.
“Can you imagine having to navigate this road in the ice and snow if you didn’t have a bus nearby. It’s too difficult,” said Alice.
Audrey said she’s thankful she’s still mobile but says not everyone in the building can make the uphill trek to a different bus.
“I can walk up the hill if I have to sometimes. I get out of breath a lot,” said Audrey. “But there’s a lot of people here that can’t walk up that hill. So OC Transpo has to think about the seniors,” she said.
Other seniors that have part-time jobs said they won’t be able to get to work in the fall because of the reduced bus trips.
Resident Gerry said she’s not going to give up until the problem is fixed.
“These are eight buildings that have a lot of seniors in it. And they figure that the seniors will take it lying down,” she said. “But this time we don’t!”
The new OC Transpo schedule starts in September.
