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Owensboro rider says bus drivers are refusing passengers with grocery carts; city says it will investigate
Summary
A resident told the commission that Owensboro Transit System drivers are requiring riders to fold grocery carts and sometimes refusing to board older riders; the city manager said staff will investigate and follow up.
Georgia Bryant, a resident who gave her address for the clerk's record, told the commission during open public forum that several people who rely on the bus for groceries have been told to fold their carts and put items in their laps before boarding. She said drivers recently left a 78-year-old woman who could not hold a Thanksgiving order in her lap at a Walmart after the driver refused to allow her to board with a cart.
"They have told us that we have to fold our carts up on the bus and be able to set all our groceries in our lap," Bryant said. She described the incident: the woman, 78, had purchased food at Walmart on Frederica Street, attempted to board the 6:05 p.m. bus and was told to remove items from the cart; when she said she could not hold a turkey in her lap, the bus left without her.
City Manager Nate Pagan said the city was made aware of the situation days earlier and that he and Steven Franklin discussed it. Pagan said transit is a division of public works and that staff will look into the incident and the transit rules; the commission asked to collect Bryant's contact information for follow-up.
A commissioner offered to have staff (including Vicky Pennington with Owensboro Transit System) review the system's rider rules and report back. The city did not announce any immediate policy changes at the meeting; officials said they will provide more information after investigating.
