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MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Dale Ferguson lives close to Naawi-Oodena in the Mathers neighbourhood and is blind so can’t drive anymore so, takes the bus most places. “I go to the YMCA downtown everyday, so, I have to take two different buses. It takes me less than half-hour to get downtown.” “Since I use transit a lot, and I know that bus drivers are dealing with a lot of serious stuff, I’d be surprised if I could do it to tell you the truth. For the most part they are friendly. Transit runs fairly well on time, there are occasions with things happen and I kinda understand that. There are a few things that I find frustrating, like what we are seeing here,” points to the warming hut that is mostly filled with a tent and unhoused people. “Especially at Polo Park, and old people are standing outside in really cold weather and can’t get in out of the wind.” Has many weird experiences riding the bus, “I was just getting on the bus and a lady from inside the bus jumped up and kicked me in the chest and knocked me onto the sidewalk. I didn’t see her coming and she kind of grabbed one of the bars on the bus and jumped up and kicked me in the chest. I fell back on to the sidewalk on my back, I wasn’t seriously hurt. There’s lots of other stuff happening on the bus, I’m getting to the point where I like to see people and keep an eye on them. I don’t like having a bunch of people sitting behind me. I notice that there are a lot of people that get on the bus and don’t pay and they will take a seat and an older person will get on and they won’t even give that seat up. I would like to see security on buses, I don’t know if it will ever come or not. It would be nice.” 231211 - Monday, December 11, 2023.