MTS recently had to reduce its operating budget due to a loss of State Transit Assistance funding and lower sales tax and fare revenues. To close a $15 million budget gap, MTS had to reduce service by $7 million, primarily on Sunday. The rest of the deficit will be made up with one-time funds.
After receiving public input, MTS revised the service reduction plan that was presented at a public hearing on December 10, 2009. On January 7, 2010, the MTS Board of Directors approved a plan that included the restoration of several services previously planned for elimination. Please click on the links below to view a route-by-route chart and routing details of the changes that were implemented on February 28, 2010.
Service Changes Rider Alert (updated 2/2/10)
Aviso a los pasajeros sobre los cambios (revisión de 2/2/10)
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Feb. 28 Service Changes Chart (updated 1/7/10)
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Feb. 28 Sunday Service Map (updated 2/18/10)
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Service Changes Routing Details (updated 1/27/10)
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Service Adjustments
The MTS Board of Directors did not want to consider an increase in monthly pass prices or cash fares. MTS has already increased fares three times in the last two years. The only other way to balance the budget was by reducing expenses. The current changes include a reduction of frequency on many Sunday routes and the elimination of other Sunday routes. The changes also include some reductions in Saturday service, primarily to route frequencies and length, and adjustments to weekday service.
Why Sunday?
The goals of the service reductions are to maintain the core network of weekday and Saturday service, retain service on the major corridors on Sunday, and impact as few riders and work-related trips as possible. Ridership on Sundays is about one half that of weekdays, and a much higher percentage of trips are not work-related.
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