GRT route changes cause frustration, confusion for some residents
'I almost have to take a cab to go and catch a bus,' says one rider
The new bus route changes from Grand River Transit are making it difficult to get around the region, according to some riders in the Kitchener area.
The changes are part of the GRT's plan to work alongside the ION light rail service and will see some stops consolidated with ION stops, and some others removed completely.
LRT service kicks off next year, but some stops have already been affected, like the one used by Kitchener resident Sean O'Seasnain.
"[The bus] was very handy for me then, until it wasn't," he told CBC K-W.
The 77-year-old lives near Mount Hope Cemetery. He gave up his car to ride the bus five years ago, and rides the bus almost daily on weekdays.
He said over the last five years, his closest bus stop has moved at least three times, most recently to accommodate the coming Ion LRT.
In the past, he tried to view it as just a way to get more exercise.
This time, he reached out to the GRT.
"Are they just going to look at it [as] a voice crying in the wilderness, or a serious critique of the system," he said.
O'Seasnain isn't the only one who is unhappy about the changes.
CBC K-W listener Jeffrey Beckner also has mobility issues described O'Seasnain's comments as "right on the money."
"I almost have to take a cab to go and catch a bus," he told CBC K-W.
Beckner said he has heard similar concerns from fellow residents, and hopes that the sheer numbers will encourage the GRT to fix some of the issues.