Legacy Of Rosa Parks Evoked In Call For Bee-Line Fixes

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY — Treacherous weather conditions didn't keep Bee-line Bus service running as scheduled in the region, but the icy forecast did force the Tri-State Transportation Campaign move from the New Rochelle Transportation Center to Zoom to reveal the results of a highly anticipated survey of Bee-Line ridership

On Friday, the group celebrated Transit Equity Day by holding a virtual press conference to release a collection of rider stories and report on questionnaire data collected from Bee-Line riders. They were joined by riders, elected officials from the New York State Senate and Westchester County Legislative offices, as well as advocates from TransitCenter, Community Voices Heard, Riders Alliance and the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA.

“Over the past several months we have connected with many BeeLine riders, who depend on buses to get to their jobs as essential workers, to get to doctors appointments, to see loved ones, to shop for groceries," Tri-State Transportation Campaign Director explained. "We’ve asked them to share their experiences with us in order to help the county address the issues most pressing for its transit riders. The people who depend on Bee-Line are disproportionately low-income people of color, the majority of whom don’t have access to a vehicle, and many of these riders depend on Bee-Line to access jobs, schools, and simply survive in Westchester County."

Transit Equity Day is a day celebrated by transit advocates, community organizations, and transit labor unions across the country to commemorates the life and legacy of Rosa Parks. Organizers say while Parks declared that public transit is a civil right when she refused to give up her seat on the bus to demand an end to segregation in the Montgomery, Alabama transit system, there is still work to be done to highlight the rights to accessible, safe, equitable, and sustainable public transportation for all riders.

"There is a clear connection between access to affordable public transit and economic and educational opportunities," Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said. "Yet, there are still many gaps in access to public transportation even here in Westchester County. That’s why, as part of last year’s New York State budget, we funded $62.7 million in operating assistance toward Westchester’s Bee-Line."

Tri-State Transportation Campaign launched the #BetterBeeLine campaign with a Westchester bus rider questionnaire, asking riders questions about their experience commuting on Bee-Line to further inform the county about what riders need today.

Through their analysis, the group found that riders want and need:

• An increased frequency of buses as well as service running longer hours.
• Improvements to bus stops: the installation of benches, shelters, lights, and up-to-date schedules.
• More Metrocard refill stations so they can fill up their cards at their convenience.
• Better communication and transparency between Bee-Line and its customers–including the public in-service cut decisions and accessing Bee-Line customer service outside of the 9-4 p.m. current customer service phone hours.
• Better accessibility practices so the Bee-Line can serve all Westchester residents.

"Public transit is so vitally important to our communities. It opens up mobility options for so many residents — those who can't afford a car or are too young to drive as well as people with disabilities for whom driving is not an option," Westchester County Legislator Terry Clements said. "It also improves our carbon footprint. That's why it is so important that we continue to work to make access to public transportation equitable, affordable and environmentally sustainable. I'm happy to join the Tri-State Transportation Campaign in marking Transit Equity Day, on the birthday of such an important trailblazer as the late Rosa Parks."

The complete "Buzz on the Bee-Line" report can be found here. The virtual release of the report can be viewed here.