The Port Authority approved the cuts to routes, taking affect March 13. The only word I can come up with is devastating. The sheer amount of red on that document is astounding.
And speaking of, the document is so freaking hard to read. The layout itself is goofy, but nothing that I can’t work with, and besides, I’ve seen worse before. My big problem is the fact that you have to find your old route. Or in my case, after being reminded once again that my old route no longer exists, find the old version of the current bus I ride and then see the cuts being made to it.
And of course, we have no specifics, so it’s more rampant speculation about what exactly the phrase “service reduced” means, and what it specifically means on over 90 routes (hopefully I counted correctly). I’m guessing that “service reduced” means lots of different things to lots of different routes.
And don’t forget, this is not PAT’s fault. Oh no, it’s the State’s fault. While I certainly think they should shoulder some responsibility (everyone involved should, riders too), I’m so sick of hearing the same shuffling of blame every time a service cut is even mentioned. We get it, you don’t want to take any responsibility for this. But can we at least move on?
I’m venting, I realize that. I’m frustrated. Riders are frustrated, the city is frustrated. I would even bet that PAT executives and state legislators are frustrated. I’m sure I’ll discuss this some more in the future, we’ll see how things are once they settle down.
For now, just be thankful you have a Bus or T Line to get home. You probably won’t be able to say that for much longer.
