Dear editor:
My 12-year-daughter and many other kids -- some of the older children and some younger siblings in their care -- take TransLink’s 211 bus home after school from Sherwood Park Elementary.
As it happens, the bus first collects a large number of students from Seycove Secondary. Nine times out of 10 the 3:14 p.m. passes by the 20 or so elementary kids, as it’s full. Recently, the second bus (at 3:39 p.m.) also was full so that all the elementary kids had to wait to 4:04 p.m.
I think it’s unacceptable as winter rains, cold and darkness come to routinely pass by elementary kids and leave them standing for so long, there is not even shelter at the bus stop on Fairway Drive at Dollar Road (northbound stop #54060).
There should be additional and sufficient service at the peak time the schools let out, for all students and not just those who by luck of route design attend a school located earlier on the route. It should be noted that even if the younger kids were picked up first, that time slot is clearly underserved and it would just mean a larger portion of high school kids would also be stuck.
This situation has existed since my daughter started taking the bus, and it’s getting worse.
I ask any concerned parents to please call and leave a complaint with TransLink. They were receptive to my complaint but the more feedback they receive, the more likely something is to be done to fix this service problem.
Contact TransLink customer relations at www.translink.ca/feedback or by phone at 604-953-3333.
Melanie Arabsky Ledger
North Vancouver
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