METRO bus riders struggle after routes disrupted due to Beryl damage: '10 days is a long time'

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- As we continue to recover from Hurricane Beryl, some Houstonians who rely on METRO bus service say they are stuck.

A man who lives in northeast Houston called Eyewitness News to express concern that his usual bus stop, near East Houston Road and Sunbury Street, has been closed for 10 days.

According to METRO, three bus routes in our city have been rerouted due to storm damage.

It's a tiny percentage when you consider that more than 9,000 bus stops exist in our city.

But, for those who are impacted, it's a big deal because they depend on these buses to work and eat.

"I paid a neighbor a big chunk of money to take me to the grocery store because there was no other way to do it," Paul Sweeton explained. "I mean, do I walk the mile and a half, do that whole route, and only get chips and bread, and then go back and do the whole thing again with your cold stuff?"

According to METRO, buses still can't safely get to his street due to high water.

So he and other neighbors are walking more than half a mile to the next closest open stop.

"Ten days is a long time. That's a long walk, especially when you get the humidity, and you feel like falling out. (It's a) long walk," Alberto Herrera said.

METRO officials say they go back to normal operations as soon as it is safe to do so.

The agency's Park and Ride program has also been interrupted due to storm damage, but it is scheduled to resume its normal schedule on Friday morning.

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