San Diego MTS to cut $7M in service

Sales tax shortfalls and the improper elimination of State Transit Assistance funds are forcing the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) to reduce its expenses by more than $7 million. To preserve the network of weekday services and to impact as few riders as possible, MTS is proposing to substantially reduce service on Sundays.

By altering service on Sundays, MTS will affect the least amount of riders and routes, while still closing the budget gap. Approximately 145,000 people use MTS on Sundays, as opposed to 274,000 on weekdays.

“Service cuts are never what we want to do, but we also cannot carry a deficit in our budget as a responsible public agency in San Diego,” said MTS CEO Paul Jablonski. “These system changes are designed to affect as few people as possible and still allow San Diegans to get to work on time.”

To inform the public and gather input, MTS will be hosting public outreach meetings at various transit stations and centers throughout the week. All information available at the outreaches is also available online at www.sdmts.com.