Donna Hamilton rides C-Tran’s number 4 route to the grocery store, doctor’s appointments and the bank.
Hamilton climbs the bus steps slowly. She sits near the front of the bus, her small roller suitcase carefully positioned in front of her and a burgundy umbrella with masking tape on the handle set across her lap. The white-haired 71-year-old said she takes the bus to run errands a couple times a week.
She’s not an exceedingly difficult target for would-be troublemakers, right?
“I haven’t had problems with anyone,” Hamilton said.
That was a sentiment shared by many of the riders on C-Tran’s most popular route Friday morning when The Columbian set out to talk to riders about an anonymous caller’s claim that assaults are common on the bus system. The 4 bus runs from the Westfield Vancouver mall through downtown to the Delta Park/VanPort Max station in Portland.
A man who would only identify himself as Richard said he has ridden the 4 route to and from work for eight years. “About the only excitement is when someone’s talking loud on the phone,” he said.
Statistics back the commuters’ observations.
A Vancouver Police Department query returned only 23 incidents that featured “C-Tran” in an officer’s report in 2010. Of those calls, five were the result of C-Tran security reporting a banned subject attempting to board a bus, said Kim Kapp, a Vancouver Police Department spokeswoman.
“That’s not very many,” Kapp said of C-Tran-related calls.
A C-Tran spokesman said the security company contracted by the transit system capably handles most disturbances.
“We do assign one security officer who rides that route all day long,” the spokesman, Scott Patterson, said of the Fourth Plain route. “If there are disputes arising between passengers or a fare dispute between a rider and the driver, they’re there to bring resolution.”
Bob Medcraft, C-Tran’s field operations manager, supervises the contracted security fleet. He said the company has partnered with G4S security for about 13 years.
He credits the continuity of that relationship for C-Tran’s ability to prevent incidents from developing beyond what he calls “nuisances.”
“Whenever you’re dealing with a large group of people that you’re transporting and they’re all boxed in together, it can cause friction,” Medcraft said. “I think the response that security officers provide is really top-notch. We have a no-tolerance policy.”
Not all riders are pleased with the service, however, including the man who called The Columbian to express his frustrations.
Louis Erhardt, a 25-year-old who said he rides “quite a bit,” leveled a few criticisms, too.
He said it’s not rare that a clearly inebriated person boards the bus.
“A lot of drivers will let them on,” Erhardt said. “It seems like (drivers) keep their mouths shut.”
Erhardt was one of about a dozen riders aboard the bus as it made its way into downtown Friday.
At another point, 20 riders, including Hamilton, filled seats.
Vandela Gordon said she’s ridden C-Tran since she was a week old. She boarded at the mall and took the bus just one stop.
“I figured I’d stay warm,” she explained.
“Security is pretty quick” to respond to problems, Gordon, 23, said. “Whatever happens, I feel completely safe.”
Mona Watson, a rider, boasted that the C-Tran system is markedly better than other public transportation systems.
“If you want to feel unsafe,” Watson said, “go to Portland.”
Bob Albrecht: 735-4522 or bob.albrecht@columbian.com.
