Two dollars for bus fare is too much for people living in poverty.
That's according to long-time Chatham-Kent resident Mariusz Petrykowski who thinks the rate should be cut during off-peak hours when the bus is empty.
"Why not lower the fare to a dollar instead of two dollars and hopefully get more riders," says Petrykowski. "If people are flexible with their schedules, then hopefully they can ride at a cheaper rate."
It's an issue that hits close to home for Petrykowski, who volunteers at a soup kitchen in the area and sees the effects of poverty firsthand.
"I've seen people in the middle of wintertime who are riding their bikes and walking there in the fierce weather and they are doing all that just to feed themselves -- they can't even afford bus fare to make it to the soup kitchen," says Petrykowski. "I see that, and I go 'We as a community can do better than that.'"
Petrykowski is hoping to get strong support from the community so that he can bring the idea, which he is calling the "Chatham-Kent Off-Peak Bus Fare Project" before municipal council.
You can find his petition at Change.org by clicking here.
