Burns: Transit authority, county should restore bus service to destinations popular with seniors

CamTran’s July 1 decision upsets many Cambria County residents

EBENSBURG, July 26 – Peppered with complaints from seniors upset that shared ride bus routes were cut to several popular spots July 1, state Rep. Frank Burns has moved front and center to lobby for restoration of those services.

Burns, D-Cambria, has written the Cambria County Transportation Authority, which made the decision, and the Cambria County commissioners, urging reversal of the locally made decision.

“It has come to my attention that CamTran has drastically cut bus services for seniors by limiting the shared ride program’s destinations. I am requesting that CamTran fully restore these bus services for seniors immediately,” Burns wrote in both letters. “By eliminating travel to and from several very popular locations that seniors have enjoyed visiting – such as the Flight 93 National Memorial – you are hampering the quality of life for seniors in Cambria County.”

Burns also penned an open letter to his 72nd Legislative District constituents, explaining the situation and advising them to direct their complaints to the local decision-makers, CamTran at 814-471-6601 or the county commissioners at 814-472-1600.

“Please be advised that neither my office nor the state Department of Transportation was involved in this decision,” Burns wrote. “Although CamTran receives state funding to defray the cost of this shared ride program, my office confirmed with PennDOT that CamTran made the decision on its own to change some its destinations as of July 1, 2018.”

Burns added, “PennDOT further noted that while it verifies that the shared ride program serves only eligible riders, local transit agencies set their own routes, schedules and destinations.”

Copies of the letters Rep. Burns has written to the Cambria County Transit Authority, the Cambria County Commissioners and to constituents are available HERE.