| NN wants you to get on the bus to safety
Say a Category 3 or greater hurricane is bearing down on Hampton Roads, and areas are being evacuated. You don't have transportation, but a yellow school bus shows up in your neighborhood.
Get on it. That's the ticket out.
Evacuation plans for an estimated 7,000 residents of Newport News who lack transportation call for a fleet of school buses to pick them up and take them to safety. If it's a Category 2 or lower hurricane, that's typically a school designated as a shelter.
For a Category 3 and higher storms, the bus trip would be longer - out of the city.
While the practice has been in place for years, it was just Tuesday night that the Newport News City Council considered formally adopting it in a 222-page Emergency Operations Plan.
UMass Transit adds five new buses
The University of Massachusetts Transit system added five new buses to its fleet in the middle of August, and plans to add another five by the end of the academic year.
The new buses were designed to be more accommodating to disabled passengers and are equipped with wheelchair-accessible ramps.
"On the older buses, passengers had to roll their wheelchairs onto the lifts in the back, and the bus driver would operate the lift. With the new buses, they can just roll on by themselves," said Transit Services manager, Al Byam.
The buses, which were manufactured by Gillig Corp. of Hayward, California, are run by the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA). They are blue and orange, seat 40 passengers, and are marked with the new PVTA logo.
"The new buses also have the most fuel efficient diesel engine," said Byam.
Disabled cruisers need to plan ahead
Cruise-bound travelers with disabilities, especially wheelchair users, can't take anything for granted. While cruise lines profess to be wheelchair-user friendly, there are instances where they are not. For anyone with a serious disability who is interested in cruising, full disclosure of your problem to the cruise line or travel agent doing the booking is a must. Every cruise line has a toll-free number and guest access specialists to help passengers with disabilities, whether it's a wheelchair issue, a hearing or sight impairment, questions about oxygen for those with respiratory problems or other medical problems. Ask the cruise line or your travel agent questions until the answers are crystal clear to you and you feel comfortable embarking on a new experience.
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