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BREAKING NEWS: MTA to hold off on approving draconian cuts to NYC transit — but LIRR riders will take a hit


Via Garibaldi 8

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NEW YORK 

MTA to hold off on approving draconian cuts to NYC transit — but LIRR riders will take a hit

By CLAYTON GUSE

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS |

DEC 14, 2020 AT 6:20 PM

In a sharp reversal, the MTA board this week will hold off on approving a budget that includes thousands of layoffs and draconian cuts to transit services, according to sources with knowledge of the decision.

The agency last month proposed a 40% cut to weekday subway service, the elimination of entire bus routes and the reduction of 9,367 jobs in order to plug a massive deficit caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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If the aid doesn’t come through by the end of January, the MTA would begin implementing the painful cuts to subway and bus service in May, according to documents obtained by the Daily News. (Mark Lennihan/AP)

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority board was slated to approve the budget on Wednesday, but will instead approve a budget that assumes Congress will sign off on federal aid to balance a $4.5 billion gap. The budget will at least temporarily prevent the cuts to NYC Transit — but officials still plan to slash some LIRR service.

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Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Sunday said Democrats are in the final stretch of negotiating a pandemic relief package that includes roughly $4 billion for the MTA.

If the aid doesn’t come through by the end of January, the MTA would begin implementing the painful cuts to subway and bus service in May, according to documents obtained by the Daily News.

MTA spokesman Tim Minton declined to comment on the revised budget.

The MTA board is required by state law to pass a balanced budget each year, “ but it’s not uncommon for the MTA to pass a budget with assumptions that haven’t been baked yet,” said Rachael Fauss, an analyst at the good government group Reinvent Albany.

Fauss pointed out that in last year’s budget MTA officials assumed the city would increase its contribution to Access-A-Ride funding by $159 million — even though the City Council had not yet passed the bump.

But taking a leap of faith on billions in federal funding is an entirely different risk.

“The federal money is a huge question mark right now in terms of the amount they’ll get,” said Fauss. “If they don’t get it by a certain time then it will trigger certain actions, like service cuts.”

The aid Schumer said he’s working to pass would cover just a third of the $12 billion MTA officials have said they’ll need to offset losses from the pandemic. Low ridership since March combined with dwindling state and city tax subsidies have hamstrung the agency’s $17 billion annual operating budget.

Even if Congress signs off on the money, MTA officials still plan to cut Long Island Rail Road service by approximately 25% starting Jan. 25, said Vincent Tessitore, a non-voting MTA board member who represents the commuter railroad’s largest union.

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The budget will at least temporarily prevent the cuts to NYC Transit — but officials still plan to slash some LIRR service. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/for New York Daily News)

The planned cuts include the elimination of all weekend service on the LIRR’s West Hempstead branch and shifting weekend intervals on the Port Washington branch from every 30 minutes to every hour, Tessitore said.

Transit officials will justify the LIRR cuts by declaring the changes as “right-sizing” service to current levels of ridership, said Minton. Ridership on the railroad is down by roughly 75% on weekdays from last year.

“The public will be affected and should be prepared for the need to modify their travel patterns,” said Tessitore. “When funding and ridership returns, we will be ready to get back to the service they will look for to bring them back to the system.”

Source: https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-mta-budget-proposal-federal-aid-covid-20201214-s5aw46frqjel7fkgcqbmkbtzi4-story.html?outputType=amp&__twitter_impression=true&fbclid=IwAR3jwnZY9rPIMDcpbwmjDAwx3cffxoeHoC8iP07okjvP4gaF9B64DRXWrZw

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If that money comes through, we can all safely thank Senator Schumer for helping lead this charge and save us from the greatest disaster in MTA service history. It's enough money to make it into next year, and the money for later years can be negotiated as the time comes. I would have liked to see a larger sum to avoid forcing the MTA to borrow so much and run up such debt, but take what we can get to avoid these catastrophic cuts.

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That is at least a hopeful sign from the (NYCT) Authority, the Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority, and the seven private bus companies (Jamaica Buses, Command, Green Bus Lines, Liberty Lines Express, Triboro Coach, Queens Surface and New York Bus Service). It also helps ensure the Metro North west of the Hudson would continue to run. But it is also bittersweet in regards to Long Island getting its weekend service on the West Hempstead cut and service on the Port Washington would get longer headways up to an hour.

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56 minutes ago, 4 via Mosholu said:

That is at least a hopeful sign from the (NYCT) Authority, the Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority, and the seven private bus companies (Jamaica Buses, Command, Green Bus Lines, Liberty Lines Express, Triboro Coach, Queens Surface and New York Bus Service). It also helps ensure the Metro North west of the Hudson would continue to run. But it is also bittersweet in regards to Long Island getting its weekend service on the West Hempstead cut and service on the Port Washington would get longer headways up to an hour.

It could essentially be similar service that we Metro-North riders have had now for months, which is one train an hour off-peak and two trains an hour during rush hour. Trains have not been packed, so it wouldn't be terrible as long as the trains run on-time.Most LIRR and MNRR riders are still working from home, myself included.

Edited by Via Garibaldi 8
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47 minutes ago, JAzumah said:

They do not need public hearing approval to reduce service up to 25%. They should also be doing it at New York City Transit. Getting the extra five months of savings could keep the system intact without setting all this money on fire.

 

But unlike LIRR and MNRR, the average subway rider doesn't have the luxury of working from home. 

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3 minutes ago, Jdog14 said:

But unlike LIRR and MNRR, the average subway rider doesn't have the luxury of working from home. 

The subway system is carrying 25-28% of its normal volume. The bus system is around 40%. We can take a 25% cut now and save almost as much as the 40% cut over 8 months.

Here is the math:

0.25 x 11 = 2.75 (cutting 25% of NYCT service over 11 months with an emergency bid right now)

0.40 x 8 = 3.20 (cutting 40% of NYCT service over 8 months)

2.75 / 3.20 = 86%


You can also reopen the subway at night by placing eight officers/train and shifting some of the night bus service budget to the officers until a new detail so it isn't "overtime".

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We've gone over this so many times, though. The subway is being forced to run artificially high service right now so that social distancing can be maintained. That's part of what burning such a hole in their finances. Under normal circumstances, absolutely, the MTA would have dramatically slashed frequency and possibly even train length / fleet types to meet loading guidelines. 

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The subway can cut 40% of service right now and still be at 50% capacity. The turnstile counts are posted every week by Stephen Baumann at another site.

Just like I said the MTA needs $4B right now and that is what they need to ask for and not more. 

The chance they pass these bills is around 60-65%. I believe they receive a classified briefing about what would happen if they didn't pass these bills right now. The urgency now is better than their last attempt. I have a feeling as to what was said, but I'm not getting into it here.

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The CITY indicates some express bus cuts could be on the way as well. Frankly, a few easy trims now could save the bulk of the system. Out of the 25 bus lines to disappear, I expected 5-8 to be express routes. If everything outside of SI went to a 20-30 min peak / 30-60 min off-peak schedule, you could keep pretty much everything and use the surplus drivers as a dedicated shuttle bus crew. The savings could be matching funds for some of the agency's most critical projects in the city.

As New York City Express Bus Ridership Tanks, MTA Cuts Could be on Tap - THE CITY

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2 minutes ago, JAzumah said:

The CITY indicates some express bus cuts could be on the way as well. Frankly, a few easy trims now could save the bulk of the system. Out of the 25 bus lines to disappear, I expected 5-8 to be express routes. If everything outside of SI went to a 20-30 min peak / 30-60 min off-peak schedule, you could keep pretty much everything and use the surplus drivers as a dedicated shuttle bus crew. The savings could be matching funds for some of the agency's most critical projects in the city.

As New York City Express Bus Ridership Tanks, MTA Cuts Could be on Tap - THE CITY

This was already covered here, so this was released BEFORE that CITY article came out. I spoke with that reporter about this last week, so this is kind of dated, so no, express buses will not be cut for now.

https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-mta-budget-proposal-federal-aid-covid-20201214-s5aw46frqjel7fkgcqbmkbtzi4-story.html?outputType=amp&__twitter_impression=true&fbclid=IwAR3jwnZY9rPIMDcpbwmjDAwx3cffxoeHoC8iP07okjvP4gaF9B64DRXWrZw

Edited by Via Garibaldi 8
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5 minutes ago, JAzumah said:

The CITY indicates some express bus cuts could be on the way as well. Frankly, a few easy trims now could save the bulk of the system. Out of the 25 bus lines to disappear, I expected 5-8 to be express routes. If everything outside of SI went to a 20-30 min peak / 30-60 min off-peak schedule, you could keep pretty much everything and use the surplus drivers as a dedicated shuttle bus crew. The savings could be matching funds for some of the agency's most critical projects in the city.

As New York City Express Bus Ridership Tanks, MTA Cuts Could be on Tap - THE CITY

If you want service cut so bad, we can start by advocating to cut YOUR service! Leave our buses alone!

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2 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

I spoke with that reporter about this last week, so this is kind of dated, so no, express buses will not be cut for now.

The MTA proposed NUKING the express bus system outside of rush hour in most boroughs outside of Staten Island in 2019. They were going to lay off 100 operators, eliminate most off-peak service, and delay new express bus purchases to save $21M in operating costs. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth if they don't start redeploying this capacity productively.

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3 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

If you want service cut so bad, we can start by advocating to cut YOUR service! Leave our buses alone!

They already have! The B46 local carries more passengers than ANY express bus in the city and we are having 15-20 minute gaps in service now. We are carrying about 60%+ of our pre-pandemic ridership. 

The less you cut now, the more you cut later. It makes no sense to cut into a time period when people would be going back to the office. Take the 25% cut now (as the express bus system is carrying 30-35% of pre-COVID ridership), keep all of your coverage or you'll get the WMATA treatment.

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2 minutes ago, JAzumah said:

They already have! The B46 local carries more passengers than ANY express bus in the city and we are having 15-20 minute gaps in service now. We are carrying about 60%+ of our pre-pandemic ridership. 

The less you cut now, the more you cut later. It makes no sense to cut into a time period when people would be going back to the office. Take the 25% cut now (as the express bus system is carrying 30-35% of pre-COVID ridership), keep all of your coverage or you'll get the WMATA treatment.

The fact of the matter is we need to preserve ALL modes of transportation if the City is going to fully recover when the pandemic is over. You are using averages, but some express buses have been standing room only, not to mention that we want to encourage usage and have people socially distanced. You encourage packed express buses, and you will just have a slower commute for all riders, as more cars will be on the road.

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4 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

The fact of the matter is we need to preserve ALL modes of transportation if the City is going to fully recover when the pandemic is over. You are using averages, but some express buses have been standing room only, not to mention that we want to encourage usage and have people socially distanced. You encourage packed express buses, and you will just have a slower commute for all riders, as more cars will be on the road.

For the underlined portion: Too little too late for that notion. Pure example, yesterday there was a 2 hour bottleneck from Downtown Manhattan into Brooklyn due to an accident past the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel & HOV lane. Haven't seen the West Side Highway- Downtown bound packed in a while as there are more cars on the road.

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8 minutes ago, Future ENY OP said:

For the underlined portion: Too little too late for that notion. Pure example, yesterday there was a 2 hour bottleneck from Downtown Manhattan into Brooklyn due to an accident past the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel & HOV lane. Haven't seen the West Side Highway- Downtown bound packed in a while as there are more cars on the road.

It would simply be even worse than it is. There are some people that have just resumed taking the express buses. Those people have been driving. José and I were talking about the ferry routes as well (we chatted about 45 minutes over the phone), and I said the same thing. The areas where people don't have subway access, those service shouldn't just be cut, otherwise you're pushing people towards cars.

Edited by Via Garibaldi 8
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9 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

The fact of the matter is we need to preserve ALL modes of transportation if the City is going to fully recover when the pandemic is over. You are using averages, but some express buses have been standing room only, not to mention that we want to encourage usage and have people socially distanced. You encourage packed express buses, and you will just have a slower commute for all riders, as more cars will be on the road.

Give me three examples of standing room only rush hour express buses in the last month without a service disruption being the cause.

You need 66% of your current service to keep the average capacity to 50%. You can have 75% of your service with a January/February cut that saves real money and doesn't run your buses into the ground. I don't see what is the fascination with keeping buses that aren't used. 50% average capacity isn't "packed". A reality check is coming everywhere. We cannot pretend that money grows on trees.

You should see the SIM23 and SIM24 schedule right now. I don't think that is enough service, but they are trying to live within a budget.

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10 minutes ago, JAzumah said:

Give me three examples of standing room only rush hour express buses in the last month without a service disruption being the cause.

You need 66% of your current service to keep the average capacity to 50%. You can have 75% of your service with a January/February cut that saves real money and doesn't run your buses into the ground. I don't see what is the fascination with keeping buses that aren't used. 50% average capacity isn't "packed". A reality check is coming everywhere. We cannot pretend that money grows on trees.

You should see the SIM23 and SIM24 schedule right now. I don't think that is enough service, but they are trying to live within a budget.

We should have an evaluation done of all service. Some lines can't afford any cuts, and so everything needs to be looked at closely, especially with more people traveling off-peak now.

Edited by Via Garibaldi 8
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2 hours ago, JAzumah said:

They already have! The B46 local carries more passengers than ANY express bus in the city and we are having 15-20 minute gaps in service now. We are carrying about 60%+ of our pre-pandemic ridership. 

The less you cut now, the more you cut later. It makes no sense to cut into a time period when people would be going back to the office. Take the 25% cut now (as the express bus system is carrying 30-35% of pre-COVID ridership), keep all of your coverage or you'll get the WMATA treatment.

Oh, nice that it carries so many riders. Better when more of them actually start paying their fare...

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12 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Oh, nice that it carries so many riders. Better when more of them actually start paying their fare...

Barely 1/2 the drivers even count the fare beaters any more. The numbers you see are largely the people that pay. In any event, I suspect the MTA's Eagle Team will go contactless in the future by identifying fare beaters via wireless cameras on the bus and ringing them up with facial recognition.

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4 minutes ago, JAzumah said:

Barely 1/2 the drivers even count the fare beaters any more. The numbers you see are largely the people that pay. In any event, I suspect the MTA's Eagle Team will go contactless in the future by identifying fare beaters via wireless cameras on the bus and ringing them up with facial recognition.

 

Let's not get crazy here. Those cameras on the buses are not some facial recognition cameras. Those are primarily there for security and transit only pulls footage in case of an incident. 

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1 minute ago, Jdog14 said:

 

Let's not get crazy here. Those cameras on the buses are not some facial recognition cameras. Those are primarily there for security and transit only pulls footage in case of an incident. 

The distance between the current and future capabilities aren't that big.

They could pay for access to the DMV database and simply send the request to someone's home. Buses can issue cars bus lane violations in a similar manner.

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16 minutes ago, Jdog14 said:

 

Let's not get crazy here. Those cameras on the buses are not some facial recognition cameras. Those are primarily there for security and transit only pulls footage in case of an incident. 

The reality is that is the way enforcement will be done going forward. @JAzumah is correct. In fact, I've been discussing it with the DOT and the (MTA) . That is the way bus lanes will be enforced (a mix of cameras on buses and cameras along the bus lanes), and if they roll out any sort of systemwide payment arrangement where you have all door boarding, they may very well go the way that @JAzumah is stating because it is cheaper. I asked them what happened to the Clear Curb program in a previous meeting. DOT rep. confirmed that it was scrapped, so the only question is when the cameras will be rolled out on all buses. They have already started. 

Edited by Via Garibaldi 8
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24 minutes ago, JAzumah said:

Barely 1/2 the drivers even count the fare beaters any more. The numbers you see are largely the people that pay. In any event, I suspect the MTA's Eagle Team will go contactless in the future by identifying fare beaters via wireless cameras on the bus and ringing them up with facial recognition.

That's neither here nor there. There are people riding for free at skyhigh rates that the (MTA) screamed and yelled about for most of 2019 when they lost $225+ million. If they started collecting that they could recoup a good $1 billion right there over about five years or so. 

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