FORTUNA LOOKS TO ADD NEW SENIOR BUS

It may just be another bus to some, but for others— it’s personal.“It’s humiliating to me to have to ask a neighbor or a friend to drive me,” Lois Trumbull said. “This way I can be independent.""I can’t drive a car anymore,” Cecil Bugg said. “They took my license away."Trumbell and Bugg are two people who use the Fortuna Senior Transit line to get to places around town. "I can come and go at my pleasure,” Trumbull said. “Not when my neighbor can take me." Bugg agrees, but likes the extra help that drivers like Kathy Rexford offer."I couldn't make it otherwise, I need help,” Bugg said. And good news to riders like them— the city is looking to add another vehicle."The program that Caltrans is offering right now is— they would one hundred percent cover the cost of the bus," Christina Boone said. Boone is the Recreation Office Supervisor and heads the Senior Bus Transit. She says the hope is to replace the old one by applying for a grant."It has quite a few miles on it. So we're just looking to get a newer one," Boone said. There are three buses, but only two stay in service. The line picks up people 50 and older and anyone with a disability and takes them to anywhere in Fortuna for $1.50 each way."I really appreciate this bus and I wish every person who is handicap would use it," Trumbull said. A public hearing scheduled on March 4 will ask for feedback before the city begins the application process.