HENRIETTA, N.Y. – Next week, continuous bus service will return to the VA Clinic on Calkins Road in Henrietta after a group of veterans fought to get direct service back. RTS will now run a shuttle from Marketplace Mall to the VA every 20 minutes from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday
When RTS re-structured its routes a few years, it eliminated a direct stop at the VA. At the time, the transit agency said just one person, on average, was getting on/off the bus at that location daily. Instead, it directed veterans to take a bus to Marketplace Mall and then it offered on-demand service from there to the VA.
“We were getting complaints from the veterans that even on-demand, they would try to call ahead of time and there’s only 6 seats and the seats would be taken,” says former Army Staff Sgt. Katherine Quinones, who chairs the local Latino Military Coalition…