MERRIMAC — Some elderly residents had to wait so long they missed their doctor appointments. Others say they found drivers inconsiderate and impatient. And there were others who waited for buses that never arrived.

For more than two hours yesterday, area Council on Aging directors took turns telling Beacon Hill lawmakers about the problems bus passengers face when taking public transportation with the Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority and urging legislators to fix it.

The meeting, held in a crowded room at the Merrimac Senior Center, was chaired by Sen. Steven Baddour, D-Methuen, co-chairman of the Legislature's Joint Committee on Transportation.

Joe Costanzo, the regional administrator of the MVRTA, attended the session with several members of his staff.

And it's not just seniors who face obstacles, said Jim Lyons, director of Northeast Independent Living Program in Lawrence. Their patrons, often folks with disabilities under age 60, face the same issues, regardless of their age, he said.

One of the biggest problems they have is that they can't get a ride to work because of the hours the rides operate, Lyons said.

"Employment is really the biggest need," he said, adding that his program is willing to work with MVRTA to help develop new programs.

Staff is also willing to provide sensitivity training for drivers on how to work with patrons with disabilities, he said.

Council on Aging directors sat before the legislators, describing the problems they see every day and offering suggestions that MVRTA drivers should take sensitivity training or change the length of time they wait for riders to come outside.

Numerous directors all told similar stories: seniors stranded at the senior center waiting for a ride home long after the doors officially closed, nervous elders waiting for their MVRTA ride to pick them up and take them to the doctor on time, seniors sharing stories about impatient drivers who hurry them along, worried seniors forced to wait an hour or two after their scheduled pickup time, or cases of seniors left waiting for a ride home from the doctor or an appointment.

The MVRTA provides two main services for seniors and disabled riders, Ring-and-Ride and EZ-Trans. Both require seniors to call ahead to reserve space and share the rides with other people. The Ring-and-Ride provides curb-to-curb service, and drivers are obligated to wait only five minutes for a passenger to come outside.

Lynne Stanton, Groveland Council on Aging director, questioned why MVRTA drivers can't help passengers to their door or into their house. The majority of the elders who use the Ring-and-Ride are in their 80s, "somewhat frail" and have health issues and could use a helping hand, she said.

It also takes the average senior longer than five minutes to get ready and come outside, particularly if they have a walker or cane, she said.

"Patience is an issue," she said.

One woman from Merrimac, who is legally blind, shared her story of arguing with bus drivers about bringing her seeing eye dog on the bus with her, waiting for buses that never show up at their scheduled stop, battling with cab companies over reduced fare, and having to walk everywhere or even ask her 80-year-old neighbor for a ride to the pharmacy, due to transportation problems with MVRTA.

Legislators called for the formation of an advisory board, made up of Council on Aging directors, Lyons and MVRTA representatives.

"Clearly, there's a desire to want to make the system better," Baddour said.