This letter was sent to BC Transit, and shared with Pique.
I work at the Visitor Centre, and I am a longtime passenger on Whistler Transit. I would like to address some ongoing issues I, and many other seniors/people with disabilities, are having while riding the buses here in Whistler.
Firstly, as someone that is very small and uses a cane for walking, nobody will ever give up a seat for me, even in the front priority seating area. I have asked young males to move and they completely ignore me and refuse to move. Yesterday, while waiting in the snow storm for the No. 10 bus on Village Gate, I was standing at the front of the line, and while taking my time to get on the bus, a very tall man who looked to be in his mid-40’s charged the door and shoved me out of the way. Several others said something to him but he just plowed his way on and through the bus to “his seat.” I have ridden transit in many other communities and large cities and this is never an issue.
My question to you is, what can be done about this? It seems many of the people riding transit here have little to no bus etiquette or respect for their elders. Surely there is something that can be done to raise awareness amongst riders, or maybe the drivers can say something when they witness this behaviour. Perhaps even forming a line to prevent everyone from charging at the doors? They do this in Vancouver, and it really seems to help.
Marie Romero // Whistler
