IN THE NEWS - Staten Island Advance: Officials press MTA to restore 2010 cuts, including Staten Island bus service
With $40 million more in the MTA's coffers than anticipated, a coalition of elected officials is calling on the agency to restore service cuts made three years ago -- including cuts that have an impact on Staten Island commuters.
"We believe this money can and should be used to maintain and increase service," a group of 42 lawmakers at the city and state level, plus candidates for mayor, wrote in a letter to MTA leadership.
Staten Island signees to the letter include State Sen. Andrew Lanza, Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis, and Councilwoman Debi Rose. But Staten Island's entire elected delegation has supported a restoration of the service cuts.The cuts on Staten Island included the elimination of X6 express bus, the consolidation of X13 and X14 service, the elimination of the S67, and service reductions on the S54, S57, S66 and S76 lines. Service on some other lines was curtailed or absorbed by other routes, typically to riders' inconvenience.
A cut to the S76 was restored earlier this year, with the announcement of a string of service enhancements. But most of the 2010 cuts have remained in place.
Ms. Rose has previously said that constituents in her district are increasingly dependent on "ever-eroding bus services."
The letter, addressed to MTA Acting Chairman Fernando Ferrer and Acting Interim Executive Director Thomas Prendergast, noted that the MTA received $358 million in from the state in the 2014 fiscal budget, while it was only anticipating $318 million.
It cited Staten Island MTA board member Allen P. Cappelli's vocal support for the use of those funds to restore services. "We feel the money is there, and this should be part of the process," the letter noted. "We ought to be looking for ways to give back to riders."By
on June 03, 2013 at 2:20 PM, updated June 03, 2013 at 2:26 PM
http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2013/06/officials_press_mta_to_restore.html
