I-Team: Seniors protest MBTA plan to eliminate bus route in Revere
REVERE - In the cold, seniors with walkers and canes, alongside residents in Revere, protested the MBTA's plans to eliminate the 411 bus route. They chanted, "save our bus, save our bus."
One of the bus stops sits across the street from the Jack Satter House, a low-income senior home. Eighty-six-year-old Sandy Levin tells the I-Team the bus is a lifeline for her and the only way for most of the residents to get to the grocery store and to doctors' appointments.
Others who live in the nearby neighborhood say they don't have cars and need the transportation to get to work. "A lot of people take this bus; it's sin. They shouldn't stop it."
Seniors who have given up their cars and driver's licenses say this bus is the only transportation they have.
The MBTA made the decision to do away with the bus route without an equity study on the impact to the underserved community. The T held meetings on Zoom that many say they could not access.
City Councilor John Powers is furious with the T and is demanding officials meet with residents. "They need to come down here and see what the hell the situation is," Powers said, "and to resolve it by not touching this bus route!"
The MBTA says there is another bus route nearby. Telling the I-Team, "the Jack Satter House stop would remain 700 feet from... North Shore Road. Persons with disabilities.... can apply for The RIDE paratransit."
But elderly folks say walking nearly two blocks and crossing North Shore Road, a four lane highway with a history of serious accidents, is just too dangerous.
"This should never, never happen," Powers said. "There are over 300 residents in this building. Most of them are elderly and some of them are handicapped. You can't expect people pushing a walker, or a cane going down that street. You'll get killed, that's what it will amount to."
As for using The RIDE, residents say it is too unreliable and takes too long. "They have to leave almost two hours before their appointments," City Councilor Ira Novoselsky said. "They have to drive around for 45 minutes to an hour and a half to get to the location because they are picking up other people at the same time. It's very difficult for everybody. They don't care about us. Bottom line."
The gathering protestors are adamant that they will fight to keep their bus route. Sandy Levin said, "They can't get rid of this stop no way we're not going to let them."
The T tells the I-Team it is overhauling the entire bus network as part of a five-year plan and any changes to the 411 bus route will likely not happen in 2023.