By Staff
April 15th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
These are happier days for the BFAST (Burlington for Accessible Sustainable Transit) people. They finally have a Director of Transit services who understands transit and wants to bring about changes.
BFAST has struggled for a number of years just to be heard. They bore the brunt of past Directors of Transit who were just plain incompetent.
A transit staff member said recently that “our Directors tells us every week that a large part of our job is to make this council look good”.
So far they are doing that part of their job quite well – and this city council is providing them the funding they need to create a transit service that people will use.
BFAST announced today that they will be holding their 5th Annual Transit Users’ Forum that will take place on Saturday, May 4 at the Burlington Seniors’ Centre. It will be the fifth annual such gathering sponsored by more than a dozen community organizations in Burlington.
The forum starts at 10:00 a.m.. Doors open at 9:30, and a continental breakfast will be served.
Transit riders will also have a chance to discuss service issues with drivers, who will participate in a panel discussion, and to vote on an annual transit report card.
“Where past forums were dominated by pleas for greater funding, this year’s meeting will focus on sustaining and improving the service. A significant increase in the transit budget, approved by the new City Council, has opened the door to a better transit service in Burlington,” said Doug Brown, chair of Burlington for Accessible, Sustainable Transit (BFAST), the lead organizer of the event.
“We were extremely pleased with the budget increases that transit achieved in this year’s city budget,” said Brown. “City Council’s decision means that Burlington is on the way to providing support for transit that at least meets the average of comparable communities. We are very optimistic about the future of transit in Burlington.”
“Transit is an essential building block for an inclusive and environmentally-friendly city,” Brown said. “Everyone benefits from an improved transit system, including drivers.”
Sue Connors, Director of Transit
This year’s meeting will be co-sponsored by Burlington Transit, which will also provide logistical support for the event.
There was a time when the transit service neglected to provide transit service that would get people to their event.
Can transit fans expect to see the Director of Transit behind the wheel of one of the big buses?
