Topline
Mass transit riders in Boston and Washington, D.C., could face severe cuts in service due to Covid-19, officials in both metro areas said this week, with public transportation systems nationwide imperiled by plummeting ridership and fare revenue, and employee health concerns.
A construction worker stands next to an arriving Green Line trolley as it visits the Museum of Fine ... [+]
Key Facts
The Washington Metro’s board of directors began moving forward Thursday on a set of deep cuts that could begin next summer, including temporarily suspending all weekend rail service, shuttering more than a dozen train stations and canceling scores of bus routes.
Meanwhile in the Boston area, more than half of all suburban commuter rail trains will be cancelled for at least two weeks starting Monday due to “low employee availability because of COVID-19 absences,” and state officials could vote next week to slash the area’s subway and bus schedules to help close a nine-figure budget deficit.
Boston and D.C. aren’t the first cities to endure punishing service cuts: The Atlanta area’s transit system suspended most of its bus routes indefinitely in April, and greater Los Angeles cut its rail and bus service by 20% in September.
New York warned last month that, if the MTA doesn’t receive federal assistance, the country’s largest public transportation system could be forced to slash subway and bus service by as much as 40% and cut commuter rail frequency in half.
Several other mass transit systems are warning about looming cuts and layoffs without federal aid, including in Philadelphia, San Francisco and Chicago.
Key Background
When the coronavirus sparked a deep nationwide unemployment crisis and caused millions of people to work from home indefinitely, mass transit ridership unsurprisingly plummeted. Subway ridership in New York has decreased to about 30% of pre-pandemic levels, Boston’s system is at 25% of its previous volume, and rail ridership in Washington occasionally fell to just 15% of pre-pandemic volume last month. This collapse in passenger volume has squeezed the budgets of mass transit systems, most of which rely on revenue from fares, and this year’s economic turmoil could also dent subsidies from cash-strapped state governments.
Chief Critic
Activists and local politicians have railed against planned service cuts in Greater Boston, arguing the changes will disproportionately harm essential workers who still rely on mass transit. Officials responded by curtailing some proposed cuts, but Governor Charlie Baker rejected a proposal to balance the transit system’s budget by hiking the state’s capital gains tax.
What To Watch For
Local officials are lobbying the federal government to include assistance for mass transit systems in its next coronavirus stimulus bill. However, the prospect of another stimulus bill remains uncertain on Capitol Hill, and it’s unclear whether state and local aid will make it through negotiations. In March, the CARES Act directed $25 billion to public transportation agencies, but much of that money has reportedly dried up.
Further Reading
‘Existential Peril’: Mass Transit Faces Huge Service Cuts Across U.S. (New York Times)
Severe Transit Cuts Would Cripple U.S. Economy, Experts Warn (Bloomberg)
