(01/28/2019) - Driving in Monday's winter storm was bad, but walking to and from bus stops was even more difficult for many MTA passengers.
Waiting for buses could be dangerous beginning Tuesday night, when bitterly cold air descends on Mid-Michigan.
The National Weather Service issued a Wind Chill Warning for all of Mid-Michigan until 11 a.m. Thursday.
Wind chills Tuesday night, Wednesday and Thursday could dip to -30 degrees or lower at times. At those temperatures, frostbite can set in on exposed skin in as little as five to 15 minutes.
MTA bus drivers said while ridership was down, they rolled out on their scheduled routes on Monday as snow made roadways slippery. The buses may remain parked during a state of emergency Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed late Monday.
MTA officials plan to decide on Tuesday whether to continue service during the dangerously cold weather this week.
Those who depend on the bus service, while grateful to see those buses arrive on Monday, said they did not have an easy time walking to their stops in the snow during the winter storm.
Six inches of snow was no match for this postal carrier on her route--or the MTA bus drivers we caught up with in Flint on Monday:
"Slushy, ice thick snow," is how driver Geoffery Carter described road conditions during his shift on Monday.
Carter has been behind the wheel for more than a decade. His driving strategy?
"The main thing is just slow down and watch out what's coming, look ahead," he said.
Getting to the bus stop on foot was just as challenging as driving on the slippery white layer of powder over ice:
"I almost slipped, I'm not going to lie. I almost slipped, and it's cold out here," said rider Raymone Ireland, who depends on the bus to get to work.
On Monday, that meant walking on sidewalks that had not been shoveled.
Not far from his stop, an ambulance responded to a call for help from someone they said had been drinking and slipped on the ice inside a bus shelter. A thick sheet of ice was coating the shelter's floor.
An MTA official said while they do shovel and salt, they cannot make it to every shelter on all 13 routes.
"I made the wrong choice, I ain't gonna lie," said Aaron Richards.
He admits his Nikes were no match for his walk along Dort Highway Monday night to his bus stop.
"To be honest it was tough challenge," RIchards said.
Driver Anthony Wynne said no matter how challenging the roads prove to be, his focus is safely:
"Like our supervisor tells us -- he says time is out the window, so we just take our time." he said.
The last buses left the garage at 10:30 p.m. Monday. As of Monday evening, the buses were expected to begin running again at 6:30 a.m.
Tuesday.