Loss of shuttle bus isolating Edmonton seniors

Loss of shuttle bus isolating Edmonton seniors

CBC – 1 hour 5 minutes ago

 

CBC - Loss of shuttle bus isolating Edmonton seniors

Residents at a seniors' residence in east Edmonton say the loss of a shuttle bus stop leaves them without a vital link to the outside world

Route 307 used to stop in front of Gateway Manor at 4215 102 Avenue. Recently, the stop was removed due to low ridership.
The nearest bus stop is now several blocks away. Not an easy walk for people with mobility issues, especially in the winter, residents say.
"At 30-below, with a walker or a cane or anything like that - how you going to haul your groceries?" George Mann asked.
"Seventy-five or 80-years-old, you slip and fall and break a bone... we don't heal like you young people do anymore."
Mary McVeeters used the bus to get to the doctor and go shopping.
"I think the people who decided to take [the stop] away didn't realize they're going to get old themselves and then they're going to have to use a walker or a cane or a wheelchair.
Residents have discussed the issue with the city and hope they can find a solution before snow and ice make it difficult to walk outside. They would accept fewer runs of the bus each day, as long as it stopped in front of Gateway Manor.
Ben Henderson, city councillor for the area, said the city has to balance ridership numbers with the need to provide vital services. He is working with Edmonton Transit on a solution. 
"If we want people to be able to function and to continue to live in this city and be able to live well, then we're going to have to make sure that transit's available to them in a way they can actually use it," he said.
Until the bus comes back, residents at Gateway Manor say they will cut back on their outings and stay at home.

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/loss-shuttle-bus-isolating-edmonton-134220963.html