Who’s responsible for clearing bus stops?

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) – For weeks News10NBC has been getting emails, and calls about snow and ice piled up at RTS bus stops. One big question, who’s responsible for clearing them out?

News10NBC hears the struggles of one bus rider who depends on the bus system. We talked to Rochester resident Debbie Thomas. She says she’s been riding the bus for about 40-years now. Trying to catch a bus with all this snow is very difficult.

"I’m a senior citizen, and I can’t be you know be climbing snow banks to get into a bus stop, and it’s just not fair," said Thomas.

She rides the bus every day to get to work, or to run errands. A bus shelter on Monroe Avenue, and Westfall Road is located just yards from the fast food restaurant where she works. It’s full of snow, and inaccessible forcing her to stand in the bike lane as she waits for the bus.

"It’s full of snow," said Thomas. She continued, "Yes, and Town of Brighton probably did that when they plowed the sidewalks, and it’s been like that ever since. So that bus stop is useless."

News10 NBC talked to RTS, and we’re told that cleaning of the bus shelters are done by an outside contractor. In fact RTS Spokesperson Tom Brede says, "The City of Rochester requires property owners to clear snow from sidewalks, and we ask that they also provide a path to bus stops."

Meanwhile, Thomas claims she suffered a mishap recently.

"I fell on the bus a couple weeks ago," said Thomas. She went on to say, "Right dead on my knees cause I couldn’t see anything. So it’s just very dangerous."

Thomas is not alone. Another RTS rider sent in this email to News10NBC saying in part, "It’s not safe waiting for the bus specially when you have kids and you have to stand in the streets. It’s not safe specially with the weather like this. Anybody can get hurt standing on the street."

Jamie Collins, another viewer sent this saying, "Right now I see people either standing in the street which is very dangerous, especially in the dark, or they have to climb through a deep snow bank."

A fresh set of tire tracks shows that some other bus stops were plowed recently, but the piled up snow was also left behind.

"So now like an option to walk to the next bus stop you know, So it’s ridiculous," said Thomas.

RTS says if a bus stop is not accessible, they’re asking their bus operators, and customers to use the nearest available driveway, cross street, or stop.