Commentary: Dear Mr. Vasquez: My name is Eilleen Wyatt and I am a constituent of yours in District 5, and I am writing to you about the SCRTD. I have attempted to contact you via telephone, but I have not been successful. As an instructor at Dona Ana Community College, part of my contractual duties is to teach classes at our satellite campuses (Sunland Park is where I am currently teaching this semester), and I have used the buses of SCRTD every week to commute to work. It helps me save money on gas, wear and tear on my car, and it also helps me feel like I am doing a small part in helping the environment.
It is my understanding that the County Commissioners are attempting to cut the funding that SCRTD receives through the small portion of “Hold and Harness” Gross Receipt Tax it receives, due to negotiation issues. I am writing to urge you to please consider the impact that SCRTD has on the people living in unincorporated areas in Dona Ana County, as well as commuters, like myself, who live in Las Cruces but work in these areas.
If SCRTD were to lose funding and the buses stopped operating, it would merely inconvenience me, but it would severely impact those who use the buses as their only means of transportation. Please take other stories of riders who absolutely require these buses as their only form of transportation, into consideration. Ridership has been increasing, even from January when I started riding the buses, to now.
One example of these people is a lady I am acquainted with, Ms. Rita Avalos from La Union. She is a senior citizen who rides the bus every day to get to work at the Senior Center in Anthony. She is disabled and this disability prohibits her from driving, so she relies on the bus as her only form of transportation. Not only does she ride the bus daily to go to work, but also to go to her doctor appointments, pick up prescriptions and other places she needs to travel to.
Another young lady I have met on the bus is Ms. Alex Palos, from Santa Teresa. She rides the bus to get to school at New Mexico State University, where she is majoring in education and plans to stay in her hometown to teach once she has completed her education. Her family only has one vehicle, so she also relies on the buses to get to school every day.
These stories are just the tip of the iceberg of the many stories of people who rely on these buses for various reasons. Please consider my story, but more importantly, please consider the stories of the many people who rely on these buses as their only means of transportation. Many of the unincorporated regions of Dona Ana County lack other means of transportation without the buses of SCRTD. Dona Ana County needs a program like the SCRTD.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Eilleen Wyatt