Concerned about bus changes

What is happening to our transit system known as Grays Harbor Transit?

When I was an operator and retired after 29 years you could board a bus at one end of this county and ride to the other end on the same fare via transfers. Now you get a transfer that is good once.

For example, if you board the bus on the Quinault route all those busses end at the Hoquiam Station and you use your transfer to go to Aberdeen. If your destination is perhaps East County, the former South Shore Mall (now known as Shoppes at Riverside) or Westport you pay another fare. If you catch the Dial-a-Ride and then the mainline, then you have used your transfer but yet if you catch the mainline for example in Grayland you can ride to McCleary using your transfer or you could ride back on your transfer within a time limit.

Solution: Go back to the way it use to be. Pay your fare and get a transfer(s) to continue your trip moving forward and pay for the return trip.

Free service — Why is it that disabled passengers with ID from the office ride the mainline for free yet if they call for the specialized van service they pay $2? Could be management is trying to phase out SVS.

Sunday service — The last sales tax increase was to bring back weekend service. Sunday service is hit and miss but it will not succeed with two round trips to the outlying areas. It has to be a minimum of three trips.

Out of county — Last year starting in May, GHTA ran bus service from Westport to Tokeland on to Raymond. That is not that Grays Harbor and Pacific County did not help offset the cost. No ridership, so it has been canceled. Now there is talk of providing service to Little Creek Casino so passengers can catch the Mason County bus. We meet the Mason busses in Olympia. Little Creek Casino is in Mason County. Why are they spending our tax dollars on service without subsidy? The Centrailia service has been extended to five days a week. It is supposed to help the Lucky Eagle transport workers to and from work. We’ll see what the numbers are soon.

Route numbers — We have had the same route numbers for years and the passengers are used to them. Why is it necessary to change those as has been rumored?

Carl Hagen

Elma