Bus Fareness
By Cait Finn, Metro Justice Intern
Anyone driving or walking in Rochester is familiar with the large blue and red buses that provide transportation to many of our community members. One can see numerous buses in a matter or minute’s downtown, or you may see them picking people up in our outlaying areas such as Pittsford, Brighton, East Rochester, Brockport, or Greece. Rochester Genesee Regional Transport Authority (RGRTA) is known for providing transportation to those with no other means for travel. Or are there?
In the past year and a half RGRTA has made several changes to the bus system without meaningful input from bus riders. This is a system that’s main purpose should be meeting the needs of those individuals utilizing it, and yet these same individuals were not informed or asked about any of these changes that had such an enormous impact on their lives. Instead a board made up of twelve white individuals, who do not ride the bus, are making all of the decisions ignoring factors of race, poverty, and disabilities
In the fall of 2005, rumors began to spread that there would be an increase in the bus fare; no one believed that these rumors could be true. It wasn’t until a local radio station was informed and decided to ask RGRTA directly. The company confirmed the rumors to be true, and informed the station that changes would be enacted in a matter of weeks. There was outrage, in the community, over RGRTA’s lack of communication to the public, prior to making these decisions.
Community members complained forcing RGRTA to push back the fare increase in order to hold several public hearings. However, these hearings turned out to be presentations on what had already been decided rather than a place for people to express their views. The public learned that transfers and bus tokens would be taken away, routes were being lost, and alterations to lift line would increase fees from a flat rate to a zone fee. After the hearings many individuals attempted meetings with the bus company about the problems at hand, but they were disregarded. The decisions had already been made.
These imminent changes had a wide ranging impact on many individuals and groups. While some found the new day and monthly passes to be convenient, these were not luxuries most bus riders could afford to purchase. Many of those dependant on the bus as their only means of transportation could no longer ride after the loss of transfers, it was just too expensive. Agencies were also impacted when tokens were removed. In the past they would purchase tokens to help clients and consumers get to important appointments or job interviews. Now there is nothing in place; agencies can’t afford to buy passes for all their clients and they can’t give out cash.
With all of these changes, people began writing to the newspapers and voicing concerns among their own circles. Finally, groups from different perspectives started to make connections to the larger picture- there was no community voice in decisions that were impacting bus riders and agencies assisting these individuals. Metro Justice, began coordinating bringing bus riders, non-profits, disability groups and other agencies together to discuss avenues for change. At the table people began to see how dependence on transportation created problems for individuals and also perpetuated inequality.
From this group the Bus Fareness Coalition was formed. Its goal is to create a board of community leaders, bus riders, and agency representatives that would have a say in decisions made by RGRTA affecting bus and lift line riders. The group has been meeting regularly, at the Center for Disability Rights, to create a strategic campaign to fight the transportation injustice.
Coalition members also attend RGRTA board meetings- even though public input is not allowed- to show the board that we are holding them accountable to standards of transparency. The group continues to work hard to make sure bus riders know about these meetings and attend. We have even raised the media’s attention to RGRTA’s tactics of secrecy and privacy surrounding their meetings. The Bus Fareness Coalition is in the midst of a widespread postcard campaign. Individuals spend time at popular bus stops talking to bus riders about their concerns and letting people know that there is a group out there trying to create a place for the community voice. Hundreds of postcards have been collected voicing support for a Community Review Board.
Recently, the Coalition also met with Ron Deutsch. Ron was involved with a group in Albany struggling to hold their public transport system accountable to the communities needs. This conversation gave the group with renewed hope for Rochester’s system and provided different ideas for tactics. The Coalition was inspired to create a customer satisfaction survey. This tool would allow for all bus riders voices to be heard; not just the voices of those representing them in the Coalition. The decision to create and implement a survey was finalized after RGRTA released information claiming customer satisfaction was up from previous years. Instead of releasing all the data to back up this claim they focused in on satisfaction with cleanliness and bus stop announcements.
The Bus Fareness Coalition is now analyzing their pilot survey process in order to make necessary changes so that a city and county wide survey can be distributed throughout the rest of the year. This survey and the postcard campaign are two tactics that really emphasize the community voice and the power it has to create change. Individuals are becoming more aware of the importance their voices are. The Bus Fareness Coalition continues to work hard to meet with RGRTA in order to hold the authority accountable to the public’s needs.
One Bus Fareness Coalition member, Arlene Wilson, Systems Advocate with The Center for Disability Rights, put the issue in simple yet powerful words when she said “The issues all come back to the same thing. Nobody knows what is going on and we don’t find out until it is too late. Now we are trying to push the envelope, to force [RGRTA] to be a responsive system that meets the needs of those who utilize it”.