Riding the bus

\"Your life can change in the blink of an eye\"

ESCANABA -- Messaging about the Delta Area Transit Authority (DATA) millage is lacking, said riders this week.

While DATA, the Friends of DATA (an organization to promote their cause, but not officially connected to DATA) and media outlets have been informing Delta County residents that a replacement millage is on the August ballot, a few people who regularly ride the bus wanted to share why the transit service is so important to them.

Saundra Walker, who lives in Escanaba, said she calls DATA for rides to "anywhere from the bank to Walgreens for prescriptions. Meijer to go grocery shopping. Walmart. Elmer's... Physical therapy. Doctors’ appointments.

"Everybody hears 'new tax' and they freak out, (but) it’s not bad. If they really look into it, it's not. Also, your life can change in the blink of an eye. Mine did."

Eight years ago, Walker didn't need a wheelchair. But after an unexpected accident, she now has to think about things in an entirely different way.

"My life has changed, but it couldn’t stop me from being a mother," Walker said. She already had two young children when the accident occurred.

Walker knows she needs to book her rides in advance. Most of the time she needs to get around, the bus is available -- if she keeps her errands to business hours. At present, DATA does stop operate on evenings or weekends; the millage seeks to change that.

Not everyone who rides the bus needs the wheelchair lift, but for those who do, it is the only option for many. Taxis -- which Walker said can cost five times as much as the bus -- can't fit a person with a wheelchair in the vehicle together. If Walker called a cab, she would need to be helped into the backseat, and her wheelchair would have to be handles by someone else and shoved in a trunk, risking damage.

Walker's wheelchair cost about $3,500, she said, and it has been damaged by being put in a trunk.

For some riders who live alone but no longer drive, the DATA bus is a way for them to retain independence without having to call a family member for help. Some, like Walker, have no relatives in the area besides her kids.

"DATA has been a lifeline for me since I am now in this situation," she said.

For people who live father than walking distance from their place of employment, the DATA bus is way for them to get to work affordably, rather than spending a large portion of their paycheck on taxi fare.

"I have family members that used to vote no on (the DATA millage)," said Scott Carlson. "Guess what they’re doing now? They’re voting yes on it because they use it now."

Even if a person never needs to take the bus, the people who do ride ask to be understood.

Bonnie Champeau, who has cerebral palsy, has been to Lansing to promote the need for transportation for vulnerable community members. She was one of the people involved with getting DATA started in the area in the 1980s.

Busdriver Brian Grimm has also been with DATA since the beginning. When asked how it's changed over the last 37 years, he said the management is much better today.

Today, however, only a few municipalities in the county are eligible for DATA service.

Since Wells Township does not pay a millage, Champeau -- a Wells resident -- pays $13 one way to get to Escanaba. Her cost would be more than halved if the new proposal passes.

Though it's technically not in the service area, DATA does occasionally give rides to people in Wells because the bus crosses through the township. Residents of other townships -- Cornell, Garden, Nahma, Maple Ridge, Fairbanks -- don't have that option. But if the new millage passes, service would expand to the entire county.

Carlson had two main points he wanted people to think about.

"(There are) people that go to dialysis every day and have doctor's appointments and all that," he said. "And then if they go by ambulance to the hospital, how are they going to get back home?"

People who ride the bus rely on it the way most able-bodied people rely on their working body and independence.

"For the seniors and the handicapped and the regular people, they need it badly," Champeau said.

"Taxpayers are talking about losing a lot of money, but ... Ambulance is thousands," Carlson said. If DATA is forced to cut services, he said, "people in wheelchairs is going to be left out because they don’t have no transportation for them at all."

If the upcoming millage does not pass, DATA may switch to taking contract rides only (associated with clients like Lakestate and Pathways). At present, anyone can call for a ride in the service area during operating hours.

If it passes, an expansion to additional communities will begin, and evening service will allow Champeau to go out for dinner. Weekend service would open up greater opportunities for people who don't drive and are restricted to daytime rides through DATA.

As an example of the fact that many people don’t consider the hurdles that many people face, this interview with the Daily Press was conducted in the parking lot behind the building because the door and steps were inaccessible to the group’s wheelchairs and walkers.