Don’t cut Tri-Cities bus service. Your disabled neighbors rely on Ben Franklin Transit

Every day, I use Ben Franklin’s paratransit Dial-A-Ride service to get around my community. I take paratransit to places like the fitness center, appointments and to visit family and friends.

I am a blind woman who grew up in Tri-Cities and believes this is one of the best places in the state of Washington to live. I love the nature and beauty of Tri-Cities. I can never get bored with plenty of parks to walk my dog, and that I can go for a mountain hike on a nice, cool day.

When I heard that Ben Franklin Transit board members are attempting to cut service and slash their own funding, I got worried. Losing access to our terrific Dial-A-Ride system would be terrible for me, and the many other disabled people I have met who rely on this system.

I’m currently working as a fellow at the Disability Mobility Initiative at Disability Rights Washington. In this role, I’ve been interviewing other non-drivers in my community to have their stories included in our statewide Transportation Access for Everyone storymap.

I’ve met people like Frank who lives in Benton City. He’s been Blind his whole adult life, and thanks to reliable paratransit service, he was able to work for many years as an engineer in the Tri Cities until his retirement. Or Dirk, who is a veteran and lives in Richland who started using paratransit soon after his knee and back surgery which disabled him from driving or walking far distances. I’ve also spoken with people like Latrisha, who lives in Pasco, and appreciates that paratransit is now available on Sundays so she can get rides to and from church.

A lot of the people I’ve spoken with on these paratransit rides are on a fixed income. For us, Lyft and Uber are very expensive and not something that we could afford on a regular basis. I know that without reliable transit and paratransit service, we will become further isolated and unable to get our basic needs met. I urge Ben Franklin Transit board members to be good stewards of their own agency — do not cut jobs, service, or your own funding. Cutting funding would cause significant harm to the disabled community and those most in need of this critical community service.