Monday, December 14, 2009

NYC MTA may cut accessible transportation services to lowest allowed by law

From the New York Post:


The transit workers are going to get their multimillion-dollar payday -- and footing the hefty bill means more service cuts for beleaguered straphangers, sources said yesterday.

A state judge on Dec. 11 threw out an MTA lawsuit seeking to undo the three-year, 11 percent raises awarded to the Transport Workers Union by an arbitration panel, leaving agency brass scrambling to come up with the cash.

The MTA is already dealing with a $143 million cut in direct state aid and a $200 million shortfall in revenues from a new payroll tax.

One terrifying new plan on the cutting block would slash the MTA's Access-A-Ride service, which makes about 575,000 trips each month for disabled riders, sources told The Post.

"This could be worse than the original Doomsday scenario for riders, especially in the light of the [union pay] decision that came down," said board member Andrew Albert.

The plan would scale back bus service to wheelchair-bound and other handicapped passengers to the lowest amount required by federal law, the sources said.

Dire service cuts already on the table include eliminating the W and Z lines, removing about 60 buses on the weekdays or weekends and reducing service on another 30, the sources said.

MTA management will take a 10 percent pay cut and may eliminate free MetroCards for hundreds of thousands of students, the sources said.

The MTA will have to pay more than $300 million over the next two years to satisfy the union's demand for 11 percent increases by 2011 now that Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Peter Sherwood knocked down the agency's last-ditch legal effort.

Agency officials were disappointed in the decision, saying in a dire statement: "The magnitude of these changes makes it increasingly difficult to limit the impact this budget will have on the MTA, our employees and customers."

John Samuelsen, incoming president of TWU Local 100, said he was happy with the judge's decision and the MTA should look to make internal cuts instead of slashing service.

"Any rank-and-file transit worker can point to millions of dollars in wasted spending that the MTA engages in," he said.

The MTA thought the financial situation was dire enough to consider closing down subway service from 1 to 4 a.m., a source said.

The idea was later taken off the table.

Advocates for the disabled were horrified by the potential paratransit cuts.

"How can they cut paratransit? I have grave doubts that they have any room to cut it at all," said Edith Prentiss, of the group Disabled In Action. "They will face many lawsuits if they attempt to cut paratransit."

Mayor Bloomberg was also upset over the idea.

"The mayor has always looked for ways to reduce cost of paratransit, but that doesn't mean we need to reduce service," said spokesman Mark LaVorgna. "We can increase service and reduce costs by incorporating more yellow cabs into the paratransit program."