Les ratés du Rapibus - Les usagers mécontents exigent…

Uncle Angry

/ #107 Cancellation of 810 from Rivermead during rush hour

2014-01-30 12:34

The recent timetable changes to the STO route 810 from Rivermead that took effect on January 27 are unnacceptable. STO appears to have cancelled several morning busses from Rivermead to Gatineau (Station de la Cité). In particular, the 0630 bus that used to take the Rapibus line has been outright cancelled with no consultation with the ridership. It seems to me to be counterintuitive to cancel rush hour busses from Rivermead, especially ones that made use of the very expensive RapiBus right-of-way. Now I must leave home 20 minutes earlier than before and arrive at work later than before. I view these changes to be a type of breach-of-contract, one that I entered into when I bought my bus pass.

Prior to the recent change of January 27, it was a very time consuming commute as it was, now it is even more onerous. I cannot understand why a rush hour bus has been cancelled forcing riders to take a much longer bus route (57) that takes no advantage of the Rapibus line that we all paid (and are still paying) for. It seems that resident of Aylmer get lowered service when commuting within Gatineau while other areas of the city get expanded and improved service i.e. Buckingham and the express route there. Why is there no express from Aylmer to Gatineau during rush hour? Why are riders expected to take “milk runs” through obscure neighborhoods in order to get to work within their own city? The Rapibus line, from where I stand, does me absolutely no good during the morning commute and has become, in my opinion, a colossal White Elephant. I am seriously considering purchasing a second car and leaving the frustrating and arbitrary decisions of STO to others to deal with.

I moved to Aylmer and purchased a home there because I work in Quebec and assumed that commuting within my own city would take a reasonable amount of time. I do not believe that it should take an hour and a half to travel what would be a half hour trip by car.

FYI: When I brought my concerns to the attention of STO I was told that “…we can’t please everybody”. As a matter of fact, I have heard very little about STO pleasing anybody, particularly if one lives in Aylmer and works or goes to school in Gatineau.