Hannah Spreckley photo
Jenny Guayquier tries to board the bus with her dog and her cart.
This article is part of a series on CT Transit buses written by Southern Connecticut State University journalism students in conjunction with the Independent.
As the bus pulled up a foot-or-so away from the curb near the New Haven Green, Jenny Guayquier leaned her carriage back. The front wheels only just reached the bus.
A small terrier dog stared out from the bottom of the carriage without making a sound.
Clad in bright pinks and neon green socks, Guayquier boarded the G bus.
“A lot of buses don’t like to stop on the curb,” she said. “I have to step off the sidewalk with my carriage and then I have to lift my carriage up off the road on to the bus. That takes a lot of strength.”
As Guayquier often takes her dog and carriage, she has had trouble getting on the bus.
She said when she asks the bus drivers to put the ramp down, they say they can’t do it due to time restraints.
“They say ‘Ma’am, I’m not going to sit here and argue with you when people have to get where they are going,’” Guayquier said.
She requests that the drivers pull up again closer to the curb.
It would be easier to get on the bus if it pulled up to the curb, or it were lower, or if the bus drivers could lower the ramp, she said.
Hannah Spreckley photo
“They always have excuses and say they would have to close the doors, I would have to step back, and they would have to get on the curb,” she said. “But they give me the excuse that they’re running late.”
The longer waiting times for buses are not something Guayquier, who’s originally from New York, is used to.
“By this time I would have been home already and having lunch with my dog and watching television,” Guayquier said. “What the hell am I doing here waiting for a freaking bus?”
The CT Bus Diaries project is a collaboration between the New Haven Independent, the Valley Independent Sentinel and students from the multimedia journalism class at Southern Connecticut State University. The students are blogging about experiences on CT Transit’s bus lines in order to give a glimpse into the commutes of the people using the bus system.
Share your CT Transit experiences with us by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) photos or videos to Jodie Mozdzer Gil or tagging #CTBusDiaries on Twitter posts.
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I would have expected the driver to say "Sorry lady, you can not brikng your dog on the bus"
I think that is the rule except for legitimate guide dogs.
It has finally become apparent to me that being factual is not essential in this series, taking a back seat to writing abilities etc...
That would explain, I think, why so many stories in this series do not seem very close to reality.
Am I right?