Earlier this week, McHenry Township voted to end its popular bus service for seniors and disabled residents, but the users of the service say they aren’t going to let it go without a fight.
During a special meeting of the McHenry Township board on Tuesday, a majority of trustees voted to end the bus service, and the news has infuriated residents like Lynne Sweig, who uses it to get to various events around the area.
“You’ve got to have the bus to get to the grocery store, or to go to the doctor, Sweig, who has multiple sclerosis, said. “I can’t see why they would take it away. We’ve got a lot of people in need.”
Other residents also echoed Sweig’s sentiments, including Jaime Wilson.
“It means everything to me,” Wilson said. “I use it for everything, even going back and forth to work.”
The bus service provides door-to-door transportation services for McHenry Township residents. According to the Northwest Herald, more than two dozen residents spoke in favor of the bus, but the board voted to cancel the program.
Craig Adams, the township supervisor, is opposed to the move, saying that he doesn’t want to see the program end.
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“They are going to have to ride other systems, which have already told us they cannot accommodate the volume (of passengers),” he said. “They will be refused, so they will be stuck at home.”
Adams said that the bus service cost McHenry Township taxpayers approximately $8 per year. The decision to end it was a financial one, as the board members who voted for abolition said that they were cutting the service to help residents save money in the face of high property taxes.
“I have an obligation to taxpayers, and there are thousands of them out there,” trustee Steve Verr said during the meeting.
Despite the vote, Adams is encouraging residents to call their lawmakers to ask them to reconsider the measure, which is set to take effect on November 30.
