Community impacted by bus stoppage
Several areas of the Butler area community have been affected by the suspension of bus service.
The Butler Transit Authority announced Wednesday that because all but one of its 10 local drivers are ill, all local bus routes have been suspended until further notice.
One route included Butler County Community College, where students were dropped off for classes and picked up for the return trip home.
Case Willoughby, the college's vice president for student affairs and enrollment management, said Thursday that administrators began discussing the situation immediately after being notified Tuesday that bus service would be suspended.
He said the vice president of academic affairs suggested the college reach out to the Alliance for Nonprofit Resources and the Center for Community Resources.
Those organizations, Willoughby said, agreed to partner to provide transportation to any BC3 student who was affected by the suspension of service on The Bus.Willoughby sent a mass email to all students Thursday afternoon alerting them that transportation is available through the two charitable organizations.“This is a great example of three organizations that support the community coming together to help students in a hard situation that wasn't their fault,” Willoughby said.He said students who access food through the on-campus Pioneer Pantry can still get their items and take them home using the ANR and CCR transportation.Willoughby said he hopes The Bus is back up and running soon.“I certainly wish the drivers well in their recovery,” he said. “I hope they get better soon for their own sakes, and for the community.”Beth Herold, director of the county Area Agency on Aging, said agency staff encourages the older adults in the city and township to use The Bus if possible.
She said Butler Area Rural Transit (BART) has agreed to provide transportation to those in the city and township who normally rode The Bus.“We're expecting to get calls,” Herold said.She said several senior high-rises and senior living complexes are located within the area covered by The Bus.“There is a fair amount (of older adults) who use it,” she said.Herold said BART is having similar issues, as are many transportation and other services.“I just think it's an unfortunate consequence of the times that we are in right now,” she said. “Short staffing due to illness definitely affects seniors in multiple ways.”Paula McCarl, VA Butler Health Care spokeswoman, encourages veterans affected by the suspension of the bus service to work with their VA health care provider team.Veterans may contact Butler VA's DAV/Volunteer Transportation Program to inquire about transportation to VA health care appointments at 724-477-5010, McCarl said.Lynn McKissick of Butler, who is retired from Butler Memorial Hospital, does not drive and relies on The Bus and family members to get around because she does not drive.She normally takes The Bus to the Clearview Mall to shop or have lunch with her friends or to visit the doctor.“Now, I probably won't go anywhere unless my family takes me,” she said.McKissick said she learned of the service stoppage in a Wednesday Butler Eagle article.“It's probably inconvenient for a lot of people, especially if that is how they get their groceries,” she said.The transit authority continues to offer commuter bus service to Pittsburgh.John Paul, authority executive director, said the earliest service could resume is the beginning of October.He asked for patience and understanding from the community as well as prayers for the drivers.
