NORTH TONAWANDA, N.Y. -- It has been 25 years since the Americans with Disabilities Act was enacted, and now services for those with disabilities are in jeopardy in Niagara County.
State lawmakers want the NFTA to reinstate two bus routes that help people with disabilities get around. The 57 Flex bus route along with a part of the 55-L route that provides fixed routes for people with disabilities are set to be discontinued next spring.
Republican State Senator Rob Ortt, discussing the issue during a press conference Saturday at North Tonawanda City Hall, said discontinuing these services would be a deprivation of transportation rights for Americans with Disabilities.
"What can we do?" asked Todd Vaarwerk, director of advocacy for Western New York Independent Living. "We can make sure not only that the NFTA looks at all of their metrics including the strategic ones, but they also have to make sure that when they're making that difficult decision to cut a route. It can't be about sending out a press release and saying its over."
An NFTA spokesman said ridership on those routes was low, and maintaining them doesn't make economic sense.