The region’s already beleaguered bus services are facing their biggest blow in more than a decade as local government budgets shrink.
Montgomery County is cutting service on its Ride On service starting Sunday. But it also is proposing deeper cuts to begin this summer and the suspension of free bus rides for seniors, the disabled and students.
Fairfax County is looking at $7.7 million in cuts that would eliminate lines and reduce bus frequency in its Fairfax Connector service.
And Metrobus, the grandfather of the region’s bus systems, is considering $13.5 million in cuts, with the Maryland suburbs facing about $6.7 million of the proposed route reductions and schedule trims.
“Some of these cuts are going to cause real hardship,” said Ben Ross, with Transit First, a coalition of riders, unions and environmentalists opposing the service reductions.
Monday, April 13
» First United Methodist Church, Fellowship Hall,
6201 Belcrest Road, Hyattsville.
» Marshall Road Elementary School cafeteria,
730 Marshall Road SW, Vienna.
Tuesday, April 14
» First Baptist Church of Wheaton, 10914 Georgia Ave., Wheaton.
Wednesday, April 15
» Arlington County government, County Board Room,
2100 Clarendon Blvd., third floor, Arlington.
» St. Francis Xavier Church, Bailey Room,
2800 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, Washington
Friday, April 17
» Metro Headquarters, 600 Fifth St. NW, Washington Ride On» The proposal: Montgomery County is slated to make $310,000 in reductions to its local bus service Sunday. But now it is considering making an additional $2.7 million in cuts that would eliminate some routes altogether, shorten some lines and reduce the frequency of other routes. It is also considering whether to end free rides for seniors, the disabled and county students. The combined route cuts are projected to cause the system to lose an estimated 850,000 in ridership annually. » Details: For a full list of the April 5 reductions, visit montgomerycountymd.gov/apps/
dpwt/PressRelease/PR_details.asp
?PrID=5308. For a full list of proposed cuts, visit montgomerycountymd.gov/content/
DOT/transit/routesand schedules/brochures/Proposed
_Service_Reductions_FY10_notice
.pdf.Fairfax Connector» The proposal: Fairfax County is proposing to cut $7.7 million by eliminating routes, reducing frequency and ending some holiday service. The effect of the proposal is projected to reduce ridership by more than 5,000 trips each day.» Details: fairfaxcounty.gov/connector/pdf/fy10_proposed_changes.pdf» Public hearings: Fairfax County officials are hosting a public hearing on the budget at 3 p.m. today at the government center. Residents may comment online or by calling 703-324-9400. The Board of Supervisors is slated to approve the budget April 27.
The proposed cuts would strike a network of interconnected systems that battle against traffic and a stigma among some area residents. Unlike subway riders, bus passengers must wait in weather of all kinds for buses that sometimes appear late — or sometimes before they are expected.
Only three of every four Metrobuses was on time July through January. A Metrobus can be “on time” by being up to two minutes early or seven minutes late, under the transit system’s parameters.
Montgomery County’s Ride On service performed only slightly better, with 78 percent of buses arriving on time.
Metrorail trains, on the other hand, fare consistently better even though they face a smaller window to be considered “on time.”
The proposed cuts would make bus service even more challenging for riders, advocates say. Craig Simpson, with Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689, said the proposed cuts would affect the region’s most transit-dependent residents, working-class families that may not have other options. The union, which represents more than 10,000 current and former Metro employees, also estimates that the changes could affect more than 200 Metrobus driver and mechanic positions.
But the jurisdictions are facing substantial budget shortfalls because of the recession.
“It’s an extremely difficult time for everybody,” said Montgomery County spokeswoman Esther Bowring. “We’ve had to make some very difficult decisions we’d prefer not to have to do.”
Phil McLaughlin, Ride On’s manager for operations planning, said Montgomery County tried to trim routes with the smallest effect on riders, focusing on lines with low ridership or where riders have other options.
But for some riders, that would mean multiple bus transfers to get to the same destination. Some proposed changes reduce the frequency of buses, which Metro board member Christopher Zimmerman said could cause crowded buses to become even more packed. That, in turn, can slow buses down.
He also feared that riders who can’t count on timely bus service would be more likely to switch to cars, adding to the region’s congestion. “It’s about convenience as much as anything,” Zimmerman said.
That, too, could cause ripples. “Transportation is the circulatory system of the economy,” he said. “If you choke on your own traffic, you’re only going to hurt the economic engine that has been providing the quality of life here.”
