[Nfbwv-talk] transportation a major issue in West Virginia

[keri]

greetings fellow listers,

I wanted to address what I believe is the major issue in WV is transportation. In many areas there is no public transportation what so ever, or if there is it is unuseable to many for various reasons. For example. there is a local bus which might as well not exist in Mercer county. It only covers a few places in Bluefield, Princeton, and a stop in Athens. It offers medical services to anyone in the area but apparently I live only ten minutes away from Athens and they don't drive that far... So there services are completely useless to me. I as a blind person have to plan ahead and try to find someone to drive me where ever I go. Sure there is a cab company in Princeton, but I live about 20 minutes to a half hour from princeton about 10 to 15 miles. Who can aford a few dollars per mile when they need to go somewhere. What I've seen is that Huntington is the most accessable town in the state. This is very sad because many of us are not only moving away from WV because our particular field is hard to come by for jobs here, but that the transportation is so lacking and almost impossible to work with. 
I'm still going to be stuck in WV for a while to come, and although I love WV I also hate it. I hate it because I can't go catch a bus or a cheap cab to just go somewhere on the spur of the moment if I choose. I have to constantly plan and always drag someone along with me. This makes adventuring and exploring diffucult. 

When traveling to other states and seeing what they have to offer not just to disabled but to everyone, and how it makes a difference in every day life it makes me realize just how downhill and behind our home state has become. I hate huge cities very much because of crowds and such, but I love them for their accessableity. Not everyone has friends or family to drive them. I can't even go out and get a job for myself because I have no transportation to get there. Here is the question I pose. How is someone supposed to get out there and try to work/go to school/be a part of the community with no way?

Also, what can we do to solve this issue?

I'm interested to read responses to this email. :)

keri

"Sometimes your nearness takes my breath away; and all the things I want to say can find no voice. Then, in silence, I can only hope my eyes will speak my heart."
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