When Wendy Olmstead ventured onto a C-Tran bus for a trip to the Westfield Vancouver mall this month, it was a step into the unknown.
The Washougal resident had never used C-Tran before, and was navigating a new community to boot. Olmstead just moved to Clark County from California.
But Olmstead felt mostly at ease while she waited for a No. 92 bus in Camas to start her trip. That’s because she had help: Waiting with her were Veronica Marti, who leads C-Tran’s Travel Training program, and C-Tran travel ambassador Virginia Edwards. Both are part of an effort by the transit agency to make its service more accessible and less intimidating, particularly for older residents.
“It’s just more of getting over the fear of using the bus and learning to use that schedule,” Marti said. “It can be overwhelming at first.”
As for the source of that fear for many people, she added: “It’s that unknown. They haven’t done it.”
C-Tran has offered travel training in some form for years, but the agency hired Marti in 2013 to coordinate the program full-time. Marti often meets with riders as an introduction, then accompanies them on one or more trips, offering guidance along the way.
Many of the riders Marti works with cannot drive. Olmstead, 63, took a proactive step in reaching out to C-Tran. She still has a car, but doesn’t expect to get another one. So Olmstead decided to learn the ropes on her own terms.
“I want to be comfortable with taking the bus before I have to stop driving,” said Olmstead, who has three adult children in the area.
Olmstead’s first C-Tran excursion had two legs. She rode the No. 92 bus to Fisher’s Landing Transit Center in east Vancouver, then caught the No. 80 bus to the mall. The trek took about an hour. Along the way, Marti and Edwards went over the basics: routes, requesting stops, transfers and other topics. Both planned to accompany Olmstead the entire afternoon, including the return trip to Camas.
Some riders who have used the Travel Training program are also eligible for C-Van, C-Tran’s paratransit service for people with disabilities. But the agency encourages people to use fixed-route service when possible, Marti said. Fixed-route buses offer riders more flexibility, as C-Van trips must be scheduled at least a day in advance, and can’t be changed on the fly. A fixed-route bus is also a more cost-effective service, she said.
“It’s definitely a win for the customer, but there’s also a benefit to C-Tran as well,” Marti said.
Marti might spend several hours with a rider before he or she feels ready to use C-Tran alone. But that’s nothing compared to the amount of time a rider can benefit from the service, she said. Marti noted one regular C-Tran rider she knows who turned 100 years old this year. The man has described C-Tran as “my independence,” she said, allowing him to travel and do things he otherwise wouldn’t.
“That’s what is so important, is the freedom and independence to be able to get out and do that,” said Edwards, the travel ambassador.
Olmstead’s recent trip to the mall was smooth sailing. When the bus pulled to its final stop, she stepped off with Marti and Edwards.
“Made it,” Olmstead said. “I feel way more at ease.”
