A Maryland congressman urged Metro officials to avoid service cuts during a federal oversight hearing on the transit agency Wednesday — one day before Metro’s board is expected to decide on whether to cut 72 bus lines.
Metro officials had been called to testify before a House Transportation and Infrastructure oversight subcommittee, the first hearing in more than four years into the way the transit system operates. They were asked about stimulus money, hiring, internal oversight and $13.6 million in proposed cuts to bus service.
Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said at the Federal Workforce, Postal Service and District of Columbia Subcommittee hearing that the Maryland congressional delegation had sent Metro officials a letter concerned about the system’s proposed cuts even as the weak economy was forcing more people to rely on public transportation.
“Our hope had been the stimulus dollars would help,” he said. “A lot of us were wondering where did that money go.”
Metro is proposing to cut bus service to help close a gap in its budget that begins July 1, with about half the proposed cuts hitting Maryland service.
The federal government has a key interest in how Metro operates. Federal funding provided nearly $6.2 billion of the $10 billion spent between 1969 and 1999 to build the system. Today about 40 percent of rush hour traffic is made of federal employees, according to the agency.
Metro, too, is eyeing the federal government’s help. It is asking for help resolving a leasing arrangement that soured amid the financial collapse, leaving the agency vulnerable to extra fees.
It is receiving $202 million of federal stimulus funding.
And last year Congress pledged to contribute $1.5 billion over 10 years to the agency — which could become the agency’s first dedicated funding stream if the District approves a change to Metro’s compact already passed in Maryland and Virginia.
“While much has improved for what is known as ‘America’s Transit System,’ a few systemic challenges continue to remain,” said Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., the chairman of the subcommittee.
He said public housing and minority communities were dependent on Metrobus. He added that he hoped two federal votes on the Metro board — the change that the District is considering as part of the dedicated funding push — would help eliminate some of the “Balkanized system” the transit agency has that allowed such cuts to be considered.
