Metro’s board will ask riders to consider cuts to bus service, mainly in Prince George’s County — instead of fare increases — to close a gap in the coming budget.
The board voted Thursday to hold a series of public hearings on proposed cuts that affect about 40 bus lines around the region. The plan calls for eliminating portions of lines or some lines altogether, replacing other sections with the individual jurisdictions’ bus service, or increasing the scheduled time in between some buses from one to five minutes.
The proposal does not cut as much as initially feared because some jurisdictions have said they can cover about $15.5 million of the transit service’s remaining $29 million budget gap with increased local subsidies.
The decision also spares riders from what Metro officials had warned months ago could have been substantially broader cuts of up to $87 million. The plan avoids any cuts to Metrorail service, which offers riders more consistent service.
Still, the plan would hit riders across the region differently, with Fairfax County routes unaffected but riders in Prince George’s County bearing an estimated $6.7 million of the $13.5 million in service cuts.
“The poor ones are the last ones to receive service and the first ones to receive cuts,” said Marcell Solomon, a board member who represents Prince George’s County.
He said the proposal to increase the times between buses on the A12, for example, would hit those along Martin Luther King Jr. Highway, whom he called some of the area’s most transit-dependent residents. He added that the plan to eliminate the C12 and C14 routes hits one of the poorest neighborhoods in the county, Hillcrest Heights, while those who ride the Indian Head Express would see fare increases from $1.25 to $3.
Meanwhile, Fairfax County and the city of Fairfax are bypassing any cuts to their service by raising their subsidy because county Supervisor Jeff McKay said they did not think it was fair to put the burden on bus passengers, rather than rail riders.
Metro officials need to hear what the public says before making any service cuts. Board members could decide to enact the cuts or tap into federal stimulus dollars intended for system maintenance. They could raise local subsidies. Or they could make some minor adjustments to rail service such as closing some station entrances.
But it appears that fare increases are off the table. The District vetoed a proposal Thursday to increase fares by a nickel.
CORRECTION:
Due to incorrect information provided by Metro Chairman Jim Graham, a story in Friday’s Examiner misstated the amount of money that is proposed to be cut from Metrobus service in Prince George’s County. Montgomery and Prince George’s County, combined, would bear an estimated $6.7 million of the $13.5 million of the proposed service cuts across the region.
