MTA Board Shoots Down Bus Service Amendment
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In an effort to establish more bus service in the city, two MTA board members on Monday floated an amendment that drew a strong response from the panel. NY1's Tina Redwine filed the following report.The Metropolitan Transportation Authority's finance meeting almost veered off track Monday as two board members proposed an amendment to the 2012 budget to restore $20 million in bus service.
"We've already gone through one fare increase and we'll go through two others. At least that's what proposed in 2013 and 2015. I think that's unfair to the riding public to make them pay more and not get something back," said MTA Board Member Mitchell Pally.
The proposal by Pally and fellow board member Allen Cappelli represents less than a quarter of the $93 million in service cuts the MTA made in June 2010, when it killed two subway lines and 36 bus routes. The pair say the MTA can still cut hundreds of non-transportation positions to help fund much-needed service.
"I've got College on Staten Island that's got 13,000 people that for four years I've been trying to get a few dollars added on so they can get a bus service," Cappelli argued.
Cappelli used to serve as spokesman for Fernando Ferrer when Ferrer was Bronx borough president. Both are now MTA board members. But they weren't reading from the same page Monday.
"We’re trying to get a sense of where we can reallocate and redeploy resources," said Ferrer. "We’re going to have to get to that point at some point, but I don’t know if this is the point."
In the end, seven of nine board members on the committee voted the amendment down.
"It would make everyone feel good for a minute but would turn around and be a disaster," said MTA Board Member Carl Wortendyke.
Board members say the MTA already has to borrow $9 billion to finance maintaining and expanding the system. Additionally, the state just partially repealed the pay roll tax that supplies the MTA with $350 million in revenue a year. They're also counting on the unions agreeing to offset potential wage increases with work-rule changes.
"I think it would just be suicidal really to add service here," said MTA Board Chairman Andrew Saul.
Cappelli and Pally say they will keep advocating for additional service for riders until they get the seven board votes they need. But insiders say they'll be waiting longer than a rider waiting for a subway on the weekend.