Editor:
Re: Not always about the bottom line, Oct. 21 letters.
Could not agree more with the comments sent in by letter-writer Christine Branker regarding the poor service of the shuttle buses out in White Rock/South Surrey now.
I also had just moved out here at the end of August, when the C53 Cranley that I use almost daily reverted to hourly service between the “non-peak” hours of 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the week and hourly on Saturday and Sunday.
How can they call 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. non-peak when most seniors who use this bus are going to appointments, shopping, in those exact hours.
It’s pretty obvious that whoever changes routes/times/connection points and times never ride the buses. Now, with the awful weather approaching, it will just get more inconvenient.
And, as Branker stated, at certain times of the day now, when the bus does come, it is already full.
Whether there is one passenger or there are 40 passengers on any bus, it is a much-needed service, which is being funded by our fares and taxes.
Dianne Miller, Surrey
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Re: Debate grows over long buses, Oct. 23 letters.
I don’t know if the letter-writer is the same person as before that has complained about the big buses in Crescent Beach, but there are things that need to be understood about the buses.
There is constant information and updates that are fed into computers about scheduling buses and how they interface with the overall system.
When you have the whole Lower Mainland involved in making connections in an integrated system, it isn’t an easy job. It’s a huge puzzle to solve and many times it needs tweaking. Having buses meet is a challenge in today’s traffic when transferring is involved. The best way to move the most amount of people in the quickest time within budget situations is also hard.
Crescent Beach is the beginning of a route and the end of a route, at the same time, so of course the buses will be the emptiest at that time.
Also, buses are coming out of the garage to the beginning of the route not in service, and the opposite at the end of their service.
There has to be a starting and ending point, and where does the writer suggestion whose street these buses get rerouted to? Crescent Beach has a natural loop in it for buses to go through and it is a destination point. In other words it is a natural for a terminus.
If too much speed is a problem, then that can be dealt with.
Remember, these buses are responsible for keeping one hell of a lot of cars off the road, and that is a good thing.
Brian Lauder, Surrey