Metropolitan Area Transit Riders Alliance of ST Louis
Welcome:
My name is Eddie and I am the organizer and founder of the Metropolitan Area Transit Riders Alliance of ST Louis (M.A.T.R.A.-STL). People have asked me why I have formed the M.A.T.R.A.-STL, and if you have to ask you do not ride mass transit, specifically the buses.
I felt the need to organize M.A.T.R.A.-STL since we, the bus riders, do not have a voice, nowhere to turn, and no one to hear our pleas. We receive no information or the correct information to make the best decisions for our transportation needs. We are tired of being treated like second class citizen, because we either choose to or depend on mass transit for our transportation needs such as: work, grocery shopping, medical needs, or for leisure activities.
We are tired of the St. Louis County Council using mass transit funds for purposes other than mass transit, such as $10,000,000, for the expansion of Hwy 141 North past Chesterfield. St. Louis County has received MODOT funds as part of the Federal Stimulus Package for the Hwy 141 expansion, and will not give the money back to Metro.
Furthermore we are especially tired of the attitude of, “I don’t use public transit so why should I fund it?” Everyone use public transit indirectly, even if you don’t set foot on a bus or train! You use public transit since you depend on and benefit from the goods manufactured and the services provided by the workers who take public transit to low paying jobs, which keep the St. Louis economy running!
It is my hopes that M.A.T.R.A.-STL will be the voice of transit dependent people, which are overwhelmingly the working class and the poor. We will fight for the public transit need of all citizens of the St. Louis Metropolitan Area regardless if you are transit dependent, non transit dependent, take the bus or train.
In closing, I would like to leave you with a quote by Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has."
Sincerely,
Edward Williams
Founder and Organizer
Metropolitan Area Transit Riders Alliance – St. Louis (M.A.T.R.A.-STL)