Without emergency funding, Metro Vancouver commuters are set to see unprecedented cuts to transit services, according to the agency.
Both bus and rail service will be adjusted that will result in slightly less service than offered on the typical weekday but more than on a typical weekend.
Routes being considered for elimination include linking Mount Holyoke, Hampshire and Smith; and an express run between Smith and UMass. Together they account for some 85,000 riders each year.
Agency to spend $64.6 million on contractors in the fiscal year beginning in July, which is $17.2 million more than the budget for the current fiscal year.
In the last week, RT staff has worked closely with RT’s funding agencies and has identified a $1 million potential operating fund source.
As a result of the economic recession and failure of Proposition 1, the Board of Commissioners directed staff to implement a 35 percent reduction in service by October 2011 to address the agency's budget shortfall.
The first phase occurred in October 2009. The second part would increase the regional day pass from $7.50 to $10 in October of this year.
Despite a 7.5 percent increase in ridership this year and major reductions in costs related to overtime, absenteeism and facility maintenance in recent years, the budget gap remains at about $3 million.
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