Taking the bus is a must for many Kern County residents who have no other mode of transportation. An Eyewitness News tipster called Eyewitness News with concerns that some bus stops are dangerous after dark. Our investigators spoke with Golden Empire Transit to find out what can be done about what some believe are unsafe stops.
Concerned citizen Ms. Williams telling us "Anything could happen and it's not just this corner there's other bus stops through Bakersfield that don't seem very safe at night." Williams says she's concerned that dark stops could be a safety hazard for people waiting to hitch a ride. She says she commonly sees young mothers and older couples at a GET bus stop on Baker street, and wonders why Golden Empire Transit hasn't improved the area. Williams says "If they are going to offer a service to the public they should maybe try to make it a little safer for them while they are waiting."
We asked GET bus why they can't make certain area's brighter, they told us they put as many "shelters" in as they can a year, but where they are placed depends on usage and funding. GET bus Marketing Director, Gina Hayden, explained the process and told us "Unfortunately we are not able to do that at every location for a couple reasons the first is they cost between 8-10 thousand dollars, also we may not have enough space for shelters at every location." Hayden says without building a shelter, they have no authority to install lights. She says in locations where they do not have a shelter they don't have the ability to provide lighting, Hayden that would under the jurisdiction of the city or county.
While filming out story we met Adrian Sanchez, he lives off Baker and has ridden the bus from that stop. Sanchez says by adding lights at the bus stop may actually help a combination of problems, like graffiti and vandalism in the area.
GET bus did offer this advice for late night riders, always bring a flash light, that way you won't have to sit in the dark and the bus driver can see you.