Agency ignores drivers, the public

As somebody who has worked in the transit field for the past 20 years, I have a lot of Community Transit drivers as friends. They have told me that they understand that Community Transit is currently in a financial bind because of the economy and they understand that cuts need to be made. However, they do not agree with the way that Community Transit has completely reorganized their routes and they wish to profoundly "Apologize" to the public to the way it was handled by the Board of Directors and the Management of Community Transit.

They have told me that from their union, to the individual bus drivers, they have tried to get things rectified so it does not hurt the public as much as it is going to happen starting Feb. 20. Unfortunately, management did not pay any attention to the advice from the drivers who are actually out there transporting the public. In fact, they were told: "You just don't know the big picture."

The only other way to possibly correct this injustice, is to have the public write the Board of Directors, which is made up of the various cities mayors and city councilmen, and hopefully they can talk some sense into Community Transit into reestablishing the routes as they were once were before they were destroyed in this new reorganization. All they have to do is to listen to the people who are actually out there on the lines to know how the system should work efficiently.

They are also asking the public to please do not take their frustration out on the drivers because believe me, the drivers are behind the public 100 percent. Maybe if there is enough public outcry, it will force management to come up with a new and better way to control their costs instead of taking it out on local citizens. Because without a stable and convenient way to get around the county in a bus, the public will have no choice but to forget about transit and go back to their cars.

Scott Eiler
Marysville