More RTS On Demand users speak out amid service ending

More RTS On Demand users speak out amid service ending Erin Mahon News10NBC RTS On Demand van (WHEC file photo) ROCHESTER, N.Y. — RTS is ending its on-demand service, impacting communities that rely on it for transportation. News10NBC’s spoken with users in Brockport, Henrietta, and now North Greece to understand how losing access to the service is impacting their daily lives. RELATED: Rochester disabled riders face fewer options as RTS On Demand phaseout starts in January “Transportation over here has been miserable. We’re trapped on our own little island basically,” Glick said. RTS stopped weekend and late-night on-demand services in September, and the entire service will end next year. Residents in Greece, Henrietta and Lexington are in the second zone, with on-demand rides ending April 2, 2027. Those in Brockport, Irondequoit, Pittsford and Webster will lose access on January 22, 2027. News10NBC’s Erin Mahon spoke with Ericka Glick, a wheelchair user in North Greece, who said since weekend service ended, she has hardly left her house. “At the end of the day, if I can’t get myself somewhere…I don’t go,” Glick said. Glick and her husband both use wheelchairs and rely on the on-demand service. She said she used to request rides every few days but now does so less often because the process is exhausting. “At first I was requesting them every few days just to see what was available, see if I could even get anything. Now, it’s not quite as often just because I’m so exhausted from the process of on demand,” Glick said. Requesting a ride for herself is sometimes accessible, but adding her husband makes it impossible. On-demand rides can only transport one wheelchair user at a time. When they want to go somewhere together, she usually rides first, then waits for half an hour to an hour for him to find a subsequent ride and meet her. Even when riding alone, she worries about finding a ride back home once she reaches her destination. Alternatively, Glick said reaching the closest bus stop at Greece Ridge Mall takes her upwards of half an hour by powerchair. “I’ve had to cancel dates and anniversaries and time with my friends because I can’t get places,” Glick said. She also struggles to get to doctors’ appointments and grocery trips. RTS said the decision to end on-demand service comes from a lack of funding. Sen. Jeremy Cooney, chair of the state transportation committee, said last year he fought for a 7 percent increase in funding and urged state and federal partners to push for more money to expand RTS access. “All I’m asking for is a little empathy. I give empathy for a lack of, you know, budgetary items. I give empathy for not having enough drivers. I need it to be returned. I need someone to feel bad about the way that they’re impacting our lives,” Glick said. Glick said she has attended public RTS meetings and is an eager advocate. She said if she ever has the chance to get a ride to Albany, she is willing to share her story with legislators to raise awareness about the need for public transit funding in the county. An RTS spokesperson supported this, noting that the more people who speak out and share their story, the more awareness it brings to the issue. For more information on the service ending and new routes emerging click here: RTS Service Changes .