More Transportation issues aka my life just got 1,000 more difficult!!!

[momoffuzzyfaces]

The bus saga in our town continues with an upsetting turn for me.
July first a new out of town co took our bus under their wing so to speak. All of July we had issues with them. They have a young, still wet behind the ears, boss man who won't listen to anyone. It's gonna be his way or no way.

I guess it all hit the proverbial fan Friday and he fired all the regulars from our bus line. Some people had to wait 3 hours for the bus that day. Now he wants us to go by appointment only. Must call by 11 o'clock to get picked up the next day. We may schedule rides up to a week a head though. Too bad for you if you are not on the scheduale and need to go some where. :rolleyes:

They will deffinately NOT help anyone on or off the bus or with packages or anything. I assume if we fall down they will still call for help for us. :eek:

No loads over 40 pounds. Heck my 4 bags of kitty litter I get at a time fill that quota. Sorry cats, you don't get to poop I guess. After I got home I did order 3 of their big bags of food (16 lbs bags) plus some wet food from walmart to have shipped right to me. They don't do their size of litter bags though.

Absolutely NO PETS on the bus even in carriers. So my cats will never have a way to see their vet. My vet sometimes will send someone to pick them up if she has someone free. So, if we have an emergency, she could come pick them up but I would not be able to get there until the next day or even the day after if they didn't get sick before 11 am when I could could call and get on the next day's schedule.

I am so mad and so sick right now I can not even see straight. Just what I need while I'm battling bronchitis. It took a week to get out to Walmart to get my med. THANKS A LOT BUS BOSS MAN!!! NOT!!! :mad:

[Karen]

How terrible! Letters to the editor in your local paper, and cc to town/city hall. Sounds like the people in your town, particularly the seniors, need to get loud about this, and let people know it is NOT acceptable!

[phesina]

How awful!

I second Karen about getting the word out loud and clear.

:love::love::love::love::love::love:

[momoffuzzyfaces]

I had to go to the post office this morning. So, I had it scheduled like a good girl!!! They have new rules now:

Starting Sept first you can only bring home what will fit it two canvas shopping bags. All rides must be scheduled at least a day ahead. One bright thing is that one of the drivers they fired has been rehired. At least I'll see a familiar face.

So, I called BOSS Man and had a chat with him.
Did not do any good. He told me 1. they are a general transportation service not a shopping service.

2. he manages the transportation in other towns the way he is going to run ours. I told him I bet they all have taxi services or other ways for people to get around, right? He hesitated then said well, a couple of them probably don't. I said well everyone there must be lucky enough to have family or friends to haul them around but I don't and neighter do some others. I pointed out that the bus is my ONLY means of going anywhere.

3. if we want to buy bus passes we have to TAKE THE BUS and go to the senior center who used to run the bus and buy them. I pointed out that would cost us an extra stop (which is $3 a stop) and lots of seniors did not have extra money for that. I did win that point. He said he will instruct the drivers not to charge us for going there to get a pass. However, we still need to schedule that stop a day ahead.

He did say I could schedule as many trips to the same place as I want each day as long as the bus is not already booked for that time. Great!!! I can now pay 12 dollars to get less than I could get for 6 dollars before he took over. :eek:

That's where we stand right now. I have heard rumors that our bus board who got us into this mess is chatting with HIS boss to see what can be done because they are not providing the service they promised when they took it over. So, I wait and see and hope I don't have a stroke in the meantime.

My blood pressure is in the danger zone today and I'm so dizzy. Can't get to a dr though. Did not schedule it.!!!

I did call my vet's office. She said if/when the cats need to see her she will send someone to pick them up and bring them home. So they can see the vet. I just can't go with them because it WON"T BE on the stinkin schedule.

I did place an order with Walmart on the net for their food and litter. It will be delivered to my door. They have free shipping on orders over $50. It takes longer to get here though so I paid for standard shipping for it to come this week. Oddly, the shipping was cheaper than taking the bus!!!!!!!!!!

I ordered it Monday. One of their food boxes just got here.
Pray for us PLEASE???

[Karen]

You will certainly be in our prayers.

[phesina]

This is just awful. I'm so sorry you and the many others in similar circumstances are being deprived of this essential service and then subjected to this patronizing treatment when you speak up about it. You certainly have our prayers.

I'm glad they are making these accommodations in your vet's office. At least there are some decent people in your community!

:love::love::love::love::love::love::love::love:

[momoffuzzyfaces]

I found a guy who will do shopping for me if I need him to. I remembered seeing his ad on the banks ad board 2 years ago. I remember him from school. He was a grade behind me. I called him and he still runs errands and charges 10 dollars a trip. That would be 4 more than a bus trip but still would be better than nothing.

If I had the money, I would seriously consider suing the new manager of the bus for discrimination against seniors and people who depend on the bus for survival and poor people because now I'm gonna have to find money I don't really have to just keep my already low standard of living!!!!!:mad:

[Karen]

If I had the money, I would seriously consider suing the new manager of the bus for discrimination against seniors and people who depend on the bus for survival and poor people because now I'm gonna have to find money I don't really have to just keep my already low standard of living!!!!!:mad:

Call local lawyers, see if anyone would take the case pro bono, you never know!

[pomtzu]

Wow - what a mess. I hope you can get some positive results - just holler loud and long - and get everyone you can, to holler right along with you. The masses can usually get much better results, than one lone person.

I guess I'll think twice about complaining about the price of gas the next time I need to fill up my car. I should just be grateful that I have that car to get into and go wherever I want, whenever I want.

Hang in there and know that I'm thinking positive for you - if that helps any.........

[momoffuzzyfaces]

I now have the mail addy AND the email addy of Boss Man's Boss! I will start writing a letter soon. I want to take my time and have everything in it I want to say before I email it. Usually, I react then wish I had added something else. Might not be any good but at least I'm gonna spoil his "not complaints" record he seems to think he holds. :love:

[momoffuzzyfaces]

After all this mess started, I ordered some food and stuff on line for the cats. The last of the order came today. It came in three boxes. I was amazed to see one man come up my three steep front steps carrying 3 big boxes. Each box contained a 16 pound bag of dry food and one of them had a 32 pack can of wet cat food in it too.

I am so amazed that one guy could carry all of that. I had my curtains open and saw him actually carry them!!! Now what to do with the boxes? I can take them apart easily and put them in trash bags and in the trash but in the mean time my cats are having a grand time playing FORT in them. :D

[pomtzu]

Wow. Food and play things all in the same delivery - now that's a real bargain.

[momoffuzzyfaces]

Well next week is when the new bus rules officially take place. They finally put a notice on the on line paper about it.They told how we now need to schedule rides 24 hrs in advance. Odd though not one word was mentioned about how they will now limit the amount of things we can bring on the bus.

Well you know I just had to point that out! So in the comment section I posted: One thing that was omitted and riders need to be aware of is there is now a limit on the amount and size of things allowed on the buses. I will now have to order the majority of my groceries on line since my life will not fit into the two tote bags allowed and the bus is my ONLY means of transportation! I cannot afford to make a dozen trips toget what I used to get in a few trips each month.

I thought about adding more but figured that should give them something to chew on for now.

[Catty1]

Good move! Save the rest for later! ;)

Did you ever get that letter mailed to the boss's Boss?

Fingers crossed for things to work out great!:love:

[Randi]

It's outrageous they're going through with it. There's gotta be others who have protested. Did you write to the papers?

Everyone over sixty should have free transportation, like in England - or at least half price! Over here, we get half price once we pass 65.

[momoffuzzyfaces]

Oh, a new fun (NOT) wrinkle has been added. I called to schedule a trip for next Thursday morning at 8:30 am. Now we have to schedule the time we want to be picked up to come home too. I told her in an hour. She said no that she now needs the exact time!!! I told her well, that depends on when I get out there because sometimes they pick up other riders. Nope still MUST give time to come home. So I told her 10am.

That means I'll have to have my list made out in advance for sure and rush from one end of Walmart to the other to make sure I get what I can and get checked out to be ready for the bus to pick me up. Since that will be pay week for lots of people, Walmart will be busy and since I walk with a cane, it takes me a while to get from one end of it to the other. BARF!!!!! :eek:

I am waiting for all this to get in place before I send my letter to BOSS MAN's BOSS!!! They keep insisting this is the way it works for the other lines they manage and they have had no complaints. Well, so sorry to spoil their record but they will be getting one from me!!!! :mad:

[Catty1]

Oh, a new fun (NOT) wrinkle has been added. I called to schedule a trip for next Thursday morning at 8:30 am. Now we have to schedule the time we want to be picked up to come home too. I told her in an hour. She said no that she now needs the exact time!!! I told her well, that depends on when I get out there because sometimes they pick up other riders. Nope still MUST give time to come home. So I told her 10am.

That means I'll have to have my list made out in advance for sure and rush from one end of Walmart to the other to make sure I get what I can and get checked out to be ready for the bus to pick me up. Since that will be pay week for lots of people, Walmart will be busy and since I walk with a cane, it takes me a while to get from one end of it to the other. BARF!!!!! :eek:

I am waiting for all this to get in place before I send my letter to BOSS MAN's BOSS!!! They keep insisting this is the way it works for the other lines they manage and they have had no complaints. Well, so sorry to spoil their record but they will be getting one from me!!!! :mad:


GOOD FOR YOU!

If you get any response to your complaint on the online newspaper, you might want to give other interested people the BMB address!

GO GET 'EM, SISTER!

[momcat]

Hi MoFF, Reading about your transportation problems made me think a bit. You might want to consider contacting someone at the address below about getting help with this deplorable situation. Should you contact them and they say they can't help, be sure to ask if they know who can:

Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services
New England Building
503 S. Kansas Ave
Topeka, Ks. 55503-3404
1-800-432-3535
[email protected]

[Pinot's Mom]

Hi MoFF, Reading about your transportation problems made me think a bit. You might want to consider contacting someone at the address below about getting help with this deplorable situation. Should you contact them and they say they can't help, be sure to ask if they know who can:

Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services
New England Building
503 S. Kansas Ave
Topeka, Ks. 55503-3404
1-800-432-3535
[email protected]

I agree with this tact. I think you need to take things to a more regulated source. We have a service in MD called MTA Mobility if you'd like to look up and compare services. I believe they have 24 hour notice as well, but the other restrictions I think are too stringent. It just might give you leverage to have info from comparable services. Good luck!

[momoffuzzyfaces]

Thanks everyone! After chatting with my favorite bus driver, the one who was rehired, I am hoping things might get better. He said he has been talking to Boss Man and seems to think he is really trying to do a good job but just wants everything done his way. So, I will wait a while.

When I asked if they had decided on how many tote bags we could fill at a run, he told me it's still a work in progress. The entire thing is a work in progress he said. It's more the not being able to take my cats to the vet and go with them, and the problems with scheduling a return home time in advance and the cost, that has me most bummed out. Well, plus it's a pain in the rear trying to get things I need home.

I have a nice young guy (ok he's two years younger than me) coming to get a list of the canned goods I want to stock up on and things on Wednesday like potatoes and sugar. Those are hard for me to get home on the bus unless I just need a can or two. Too heavy for me to carry in a tote bag. He has several others he shops for. I just hate having to rely on someone else to shop for me. sigh

I was expecting part of my Walmart shipment to come today. The tracking said it was picked up by Fed Ex. It was supposed to come today but it's after 4 now so I expect it won't come now until Monday. It's just these little things all add up and irk me no end when it was so much easier to just be able to go myself and bring it home. :love:

[Catty1]

Try contacting that place in Kansas and see if they can help.