Beginning Sunday, more than two-dozen weekday bus routes will
be cut…night-time light rail and bus service will be eliminated…and
weekend routes will be reduced.
"It's very sad and very devastating to a lot of people."
Barbara Stanton is with the advocacy group RiderShip for the
Masses. She says RT could've avoided the cuts by consolidating
departments or laying off top management. And she says the agency
should hold off on projects like the Green Line - expanding light
rail to Sacramento International Airport.
"If you have a fiscal emergency, we believe that there should
be no expansion."
But RT's Alane Masui says the agency has acted responsibly and
is trying to deal with massive cuts in state transportation dollars
and plunging sales tax receipts triggered by the recession.
"We have implemented a hiring freeze, salary freeze; furloughs
and we simply cannot absorb this magnitude of budget shortfall
without service reductions."
She says they're also looking at ways to generate money.
"And that includes advertising at the light rail stations on
beverage kiosks and implementing our park-pay-and-ride program. We
are trying to do whatever we can to save service."
Masui says RT hopes to restore some of the eliminated services
over time as the economy improves.