HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/20/2010 00 Misc Distributed at the Meeting 'J %S+i bo+ *d 7 /20 /iv
RECEIVED
CITY OF YAKIMA
JUL 202010
Monday July 19 2010
OFFICE OF CITY COUNCIL
To The City Council.
My name is Irene Raptcheff, I am the tour coordinator for the Harman Center.
This last week we had a senior trip going up to Clarkston and on to the Mail Boat Run on
the Snake River. I was the escort of that trip. Everyone enjoyed the trip on the River, but
the bus ride to and from Clarkston was almost unbearable.
On the day we left Tuesday July 13 we had Bus #444 from A &A Motor Coach, Inc. in
the morning it got so cold that we had to shut down the air conditioning. The driver of the
Bus Paul Carlton, stayed in Clarkston while the rest of us went up the river for one day
and a night.
When we came back to Clarkston on Thursday July 15 the bus was there but it was
very hot, I told everyone it would be better once we are on the road and going for a while.
When we left it was 87 degrees on the bus, then I told everyone while we are going up a
hill and it will be better once we are on even ground. The temperature never changed in
the 4 hours from Clarkston to the first rest area in Prosser, everyone was really
miserable and I was worried someone might pass out, that is how hot it was on the bus. I
talked to Paul several times and he kept saying this is the best he can do. There were only
shades on 4 windows the rest had nothing and the passengers were sitting right in the sun.
After we left the rest area a little while down the road he stopped the bus and opened the
escape hatches in the front it was opened all the way and they got some air, in the back he
just tilted it and no air came in.
When we were coming up Summitview Ave nearly at the Center Paul told me he could
have called another bus to meet us, but they would have only made it to Prosser. After we
left Clarkston and he knew that this is not getting any better he could have called in then,
that would have given us maybe half the trip in a good bus. When we got to the Center at
8/30 pm the temperature was 82 on the bus.
We have reported broken seats and backrests, broken air vents and lights, things get never
fixed.
City council should consider that when they make the decisions to give A &A one more
chance we pay a lot of money for the buses and as Seniors I think we deserve better
equipment.
Sincerely Irene Raptcheff, Tour Coordinator, Harman Center
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VI ) -(4.rA7 gert4
CC: Ron Anderson
Traci Bennett
Ken Wilkenson