New York City subway and bus cuts take effect

[Hannah Bell]

In the last week of June, the subway and bus service cutbacks adopted earlier this year by New York State’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority went into effect. Two subway lines and 37 bus routes were completely eliminated, as part of a plan to close the MTA’s $800 million operating budget deficit. That same week, more than 300 bus workers were laid off, bringing the number of transit workers who have received pink slips in recent weeks, including bus drivers, mechanics and station agents, to over 750.

These cuts will translate into dirtier and less safe subway and bus service, along with longer commuting times for some workers, in some cases making it virtually impossible for workers who already travel long distances to keep their jobs.

The MTA is planning to lay off a further 200 station agents as soon as it complies with a court decision that ruled that public hearings were necessary before any subway station booths are closed.

The MTA’s crisis is part of a nationwide fiscal disaster facing transit systems in nearly every major city in the US. The transit crisis is in turn only one element in the enormous and growing budget crises faced by nearly every city and state. The mammoth $800 million deficit for the MTA, the largest transit system in the country, is comparable to the devastating budget gaps for most state governments. California is without a budget and faces a deficit of $19 billion, while the comparable figure for New York State is $9.2 billion. Illinois confronts a gigantic $12 billion deficit, or nearly half of the total state budget.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/jul2010/tran-j10.shtml

[Kringle]

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