Citibus GM in Wheel Chair
… to put himself in the place of people with disabilities in getting around, in this instance, on Lubbock’s public transit buses.
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Robin O’Shaughnessy / A-J Photo
Citibus general manager John Wilson shares a lighter moment with Citibus driver Jack Criddle, left, after Wilson boarded a bus in a wheelchair Tuesday. Wilson accepted the challenge of a disabled rider and will go around town for a week riding a wheelchair and Citibus.
*Citibus accepts disabled rider’s challenge*
BY DEREK MAY, AVALANCHE-JOURNAL, October 22, 2003
Responding to a challenge, Citibus general manager John Wilson is testing the quality of the city’s bus service for the disabled.
Wilson traveled home from the downtown terminal using a wheelchair and the city bus service Tuesday afternoon. He plans to use the wheelchair and Citibus for all his travels around town through next Tuesday.
“I am doing this to gain a better appreciation and to find ways to improve the system,” Wilson said.
He also is answering a challenge by Allen Bryant. Bryant, who uses a motorized wheelchair, issued the challenge at a public hearing in June.
“I thought it would be a good idea for the manager to see what the disabled community goes through to travel around the city,” Bryant said.
According to Bryant, some of the city’s bus stops are dangerous for people on wheelchairs. He also claimed that some stops are unreasonable distances from homes.
“I lived on the east side of town, and the closest bus stop was three blocks away,” he said.
Prior to sitting in the wheelchair and being lifted onto the bus for his first ride home, Wilson was optimistic.
“I think I’ll find the system works well,” he said.
Wilson’s travel schedule includes a daily commute to and from work. The trip will require a transfer and an 11-block wheelchair ride from the bus stop to his house.
Wilson also plans to use the wheelchair and bus service to get to meetings and to go shopping in the evening. His schedule includes normal daily bus routes as well as CitiAcess, the city’s on-demand van service for the disabled.
Bryant said that whether bus service improves remains to be seen, but he is encouraged by Wilson’s effort.
“I’ve got to give him credit for being a good sport,” Bryant said.