Marsh Green’s letter “ ‘Cast-off’ buses geared for Surrey riders” (Aug. 15) stated that most of the buses servicing Fraser Heights were old and empty. Yes, many buses are “old,” but age is just a number if they are well-maintained.
Not knowing where on the Fraser Heights bus route he lives, it is hard to make judgements on his perception of the ridership. The buses are full with standees in the mornings heading out of Fraser Heights (even during the summer) and packed in the afternoons, heading into Fraser Heights.
Passengers waiting at Guildford in the afternoon are often passed by as the buses are packed leaving Surrey Central and don’t even stop to let on passengers at Guildford.
With the expansion of Guildford mall, many of the Fraser Heights youth may be working there and could end up waiting more than one hour to get on a bus at Guildford.
On weekends, the small community buses are frequently full leaving Fraser Heights in the morning and full leaving Surrey Central from noon onwards. Riders can be left behind, having to wait yet another 30 minutes for the next bus at Surrey Central.
With school starting soon, the ridership will increase tremendously and the buses will again leave people behind both in the morning commute out of Fraser Heights and in the afternoon, back into Fraser Heights.
Yes, the bus ridership is uni-directional most of the time, but it would be hard to switch the big buses for the community buses at either end of the route as the buses usually carry a heavy load in one of the two directions they travel.
As for noise, the buses pass by quickly and are no louder than many other vehicles on the roads.
Cathy Moore
Surey