[bru-info] For Immediate Release: Bus Riders Denied the Right to Speak at July 20th TransLink Meeting

[bru-info at lists.resist.ca]

**For Immediate Release**

TransLink denies Bus Riders Union organizers and allies the right to speak at the July 20th TransLink meeting

July 19, 2005

Vancouver - Bus Riders Union organizers, allies and endorsers of the Lower the Fare Now: For Community Health and Social Justice campaign such as the Hospital Employees Union, the Vancouver Richmond Mental Health Network, the Vancouver Status of Women, Vancouver Association for Survivors of Torture and Co-op Radio, representing over 100,000 people in the GVRD were denied the right to speak at the July 20th TransLink meeting. According to TransLink, community organizations and organizers could not speak to TransLink on how high fares impact marginalized communities and publicly demand that they lower the Fares immediately because they "the issue on which you wish to speak is not a current item on the Agenda". 

Bus Riders Union organizer Zailda Chan says "TransLink is once again showing itself to be undemocratic and unaccountable to transit-dependent people". "When TransLink does not let us speak at the only small window in TransLink meetings where bus riders can share their experiences and express their anger at the poor transit system, it shows once again that TransLink chooses to ignore the economic hardship and health consequences of transit-dependent people and instead prioritizes the interest of big business." 

The Bus Riders Union demand for lower fares, which has also been endorsed by the City of Vancouver, is gaining momentum as more and more bus riders and organizations representing transit-dependent communities join the fight for lower fares as a step towards building a transit system that serves the needs of transit-dependent people, who are working class communities, majority women and disproportionately women of colour and Aboriginal women. 

"We will not be silenced" says organizer Beth Grayer. "The pressing demand to Lower Fares to pre-2005 levels will not go away. As we have a growing community support for the Lower the Fares campaign, TransLink has no choice but to listen to bus riders. This is a fight for health and social justice".

Joined by endorsers and allies, the Bus Riders Union will be holding a press conference at 8:40am at the TransLink meeting on July 20th at the Stanley Park Pavilion, 610 Pipeline Road, Vancouver. 

Media contacts:

Zailda Chan: 604-215-2775 (BRU office)



-30-



Interested in getting involved in the struggle for lower fares?  

Come out to our next public meeting on July 23, 1pm at the Downtown Library (350 Georgia Street). Snacks, childcare and spanish translation available. 







-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.resist.ca/pipermail/bru-info/attachments/20050719/a5e4ba9b/attachment.html>