Letter: Tired of having to wait for the next bus

Sudbury transit (Gova Transit) needs to make changes and fast before winter hits, so maybe if I contact every MP and news outlet I can think of; maybe something will actually happen.

I’ve been a pedestrian my whole life (can’t drive due to health issues), and the transit system does not serve the public anymore. Ridership is the highest it’s been since pre-pandemic and yet we’re still running busses knowing that they will be jam-packed and will have to turn people away.

Three separate occasions now I (and many others) have been turned away and told, “Unfortunately you’ll have to wait for the next bus” because the bus is full. Normally, this wouldn’t be an issue except it always occurs after 6 p.m. and on weekends when those routes only run every 30 minutes.

We live in Northern Ontario, where it can easily get to -30 outside. These stops don’t have shelters, and people are expected to wait 30+ minutes in the freezing cold without any kind of shelter hoping that the next bus isn’t just as full and they won’t get turned away yet again? What about seniors who already have health issues? Or people with disabilities? 

Not everyone has $25+ dollars for a cab just to be able to get where they need to go safely. Personally, this always happens after I’ve finished work and just want to get home safely.

It happened again last night (Nov. 25) after I had finished my shift at work. Stores in the area are closed, so there’s nowhere to go inside and wait. I was already uncomfortable because of a very visibly drunk person who was also waiting for the bus (stumbling almost into traffic), who decided he wanted to be “overly friendly” with me. 

I had called my spouse and walked to the next bus stop so I could have other people around and hopefully deter the drunk (which it did, he stopped speaking to me), only for myself and the 10 others waiting at the stop to be told we’d have to wait 30 minutes. 

So my options were pay $25 for a cab home, or stand in the cold for 30 minutes with someone who made me very uncomfortable (he followed me up to the next stop). Luckily, I had the means for a cab, but most of the others waiting were students and I doubt they have money to spare.

If the city is aware of the increased ridership (which they are, I’ve read the articles), then they should know that the college and university routes especially are going to be full and should be staying on the every-15-minutes schedule instead of dropping to every 30 minutes after 6 p.m. and on weekends. Or even send out two buses on the same routes so this doesn’t happen.

Anne Cropper
Greater Sudbury