El Metro is used by many Laredo citizens every day to get to school and work. During the summer, waiting for the bus becomes a hassle for El Metro users.
Some of El Metro bus stops throughout the city don’t have a bench or shade. El Metro users have to wait between 30 minutes to 1 hour for their bus to arrive. El Metro user Maria states, “My bus stop doesn’t have a bench or shade. I have to wait for the Metro in the horrible heat, standing up.” Temperatures in the summer in Laredo reach up to 107 degrees. Anyone exposed to this heat could experience heat strokes and even death.
A temporary solution to this problem would be that El Metro users could wait inside a nearby store or building that has air conditioning. This way, El Metro users wouldn’t be exposed to the heat for such a long time. El Metro user Nathalie states, “My bus stop does have a bench and shade, but due to the heat, I usually wait inside the Fine Arts building at Texas A&M International University.”
Unfortunately, not all El Metro bus stops are located near a store or building with air conditioning where the users can wait for their bus. El Metro user Maria thinks that “all El Metro bus stops should have shade, and a bench to sit on. A lot of elders use El Metro and can’t be standing between 30 minutes to an hour waiting for the bus in this horrible heat.”
Laredo citizens pay thousands of dollars in taxes that should be used to provide commodities that they deserve. El Metro user Adriana states, “It would be fair to use some of the money the people pay to ride El Metro to provide all El Metro bus stops with shade and a bench. Not all people depend on El Metro, so it wouldn’t be fair to tax everyone to provide these necessities.” El Metro user Nathalie also states, “I wouldn’t mind being taxed a little more so that all El Metro bus stops can have a bench and shade. I’m the one using El Metro, so I know I would benefit from being taxed.”
All El Metro bus stops throughout the city should provide a shaded place to sit, for both the comfort and safety of the many Laredo citizens who ride the bus.
