I am writing about the new Lane Council of Government’s bus. The COVID situation occurred in March, right after it had been announced that there would be flag stops on this bus along West Hwy126. That would’ve been perfect.

There are stores open now. So we tried this bus. No flag stops, and he wasn’t friendly. We were charged $5 each to go from Eugene to Veneta. This is the same price as to Florence from Eugene. The LCOG bus is said to cost $1 to go from Mapleton to Florence. The LTD buses to Veneta were free at this time. This bus has four stops: Eugene,Veneta, Mapleton and Florence. No flag stops, yet.

This is falling way short of the full spectrum of plans that should be implemented to truly take advantage of a bus system in such a rural area.

Many can’t drive, many more wouldn’t if they didn’t have to. The right thing to do should be to make it easier for everybody to take the bus. If a school bus can stop there, then this little bus can, too.

How are we gonna save our planet without bus stops, come on! We need your help to organize an honorable transportation system. Write to Rep. Peter DeFazio and also to ADRCLane@lcog.org to show your interest in a more user-friendly bus system. Come on people, let’s not lose our momentum.

Everlynn Gladiola

Veneta