Letters: Star readers argue Windsor-Detroit tunnel bus, pro and con

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Windsor mayor ‘shortsighted’ to kill Detroit tunnel bus

Re: Bus stopped: ‘It’s a lifeline’ — riders fight to save historic Windsor-Detroit Tunnel Bus (Feb. 14)

It is shortsighted for Mayor Dilkens to kill the tunnel bus. I personally use this bus frequently and have for 46 years.

As a person who does not drive due to my disability, the tunnel bus is a lifeline that allows me to stay connected to my friends and family. I urge council to oppose the mayor’s veto.

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Yes, these are unprecedented times, but fanning the flames of discord by cancelling a vital service is not appropriate.

Marianne Park Ruffin
Detroit, Mich.

Kudos to Windsor’s mayor for tunnel bus veto

I wholeheartedly agree that Windsorites should not be spending $1.4 million to support restaurants, sporting and entertainment events in the U.S.

We have been told that the U.S. does not need Canada for anything. The gauntlet has been thrown.

Kudos to Mayor Drew Dilkens. His message to stand our ground in a dignified and peaceful manner is resounding in the tunnel bus decision. To preserve our Canadian dignity we need to walk the walk, be proactive without hostility, and never resort to victimization.

Janice Ducharme
Windsor

Once gone, Windsor-Detroit tunnel bus not coming back

It’s hard for me to understand how Mayor Dilkens can use his powers to overrule keeping the tunnel bus for at least another year and the proposed fare increase.

The money that’s being spent on other projects is hard to accept. I worked for Transit Windsor for 30-plus years and they need to get their in-house affairs in order.

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They keep saying they want to fix our downtown to attract more people. If this service is cancelled, I doubt Windsor will ever get it back.

Jack Shuttleworth

Windsor

Get Americans to subsidize international tunnel bus

Since the tunnel bus appears to be more of a financial benefit to the U.S. than Windsor, why not have the Americans supply the service or subsidize it?

If Windsor decides to maintain it the fares should be increased to cover the costs. There is no reason to subsidize a service that does not serve the majority of taxpayers in Windsor. Any savings could be applied to improve local bus service for Windsorites.

Some Windsorites use it to commute to jobs in the U.S. Why should those people be subsidized when they benefit from the high exchange rate for the pay they earn in the U.S?

When I worked in Michigan I paid for my own transportation and never expected it to be subsidized by fellow Windsorites.

Anyway, I’m trying to be constructive.

Richard Rosenthal
Windsor

Tunnel bus great for downtown Windsor

I am appalled by Mayor Dilkens using anti-American sentiment as an excuse to cancel the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel Bus.

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I am from Kingston and currently completing a PhD in medical statistics in Ann Arbor, Mich. Every semester, I take the VIA train to Windsor, the tunnel bus across the border, and a bus from Detroit to Ann Arbor (and vice-versa).

This saves me about $350 compared to travelling by air, along with a massive reduction in carbon footprint. It also gives me a chance to visit some great local businesses in Windsor. I particularly enjoy breakfast at Taloola Cafe, a falafel sandwich from Shawarma Palace, or a London Fog at the Coffee Exchange.

In the 10 to 15 times I’ve taken the tunnel bus, I don’t see the deluge of cross-border tourists that the mayor invokes to demonize the service. There are a few tourists, sure, but the day-to-day users of the bus that I’ve encountered are overwhelmingly visiting family, U.S. students going to school in Windsor or vice-versa, and cross-border workers.

Mayor Dilkens simply wants to use tourists as a scapegoat to distract from his agenda of cutting Transit Windsor now that bus drivers are getting a fair shake.

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