Upstate transit agencies are warning of possible service cuts if more funding isn’t provided in the final state budget.
They’re seeking a 15% increase, which would mean an additional $75.8 million for upstate transit agencies, for a total of $1.09 billion, according to lawmakers.
Miguel Velázquez, the president of the New York Public Transit Association, said during a Wednesday news conference that many upstate agencies are dealing with deficits.
"Without this 15%, we're not able to fix that structural deficit so that we can continue serving our customers the way we're serving them today, maintain the level of service that we have today and improve upon that service,” said Velázquez, who is also CEO of Regional Transit Service in the Rochester area.
Capital District Transportation Authority CEO Frank Annicaro went further, warning that service cuts are imminent without more state funding.
“CDTA will have to make tough decisions that include service reductions this May with additional impacts coming in August,” Annicaro said. “The time to ensure this does not happen is right now. Affordable, reliable transit has never been more important.”
The concerns come at a time when many agencies are seeing increased ridership and hope to take advantage of people considering other transportation options as fuel costs rise.
The state Senate’s budget proposal includes the 15% request, while the Assembly included 7.4%. Both are more than Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposal of 5.75%.
“We worked hard to make sure that there was going to be an increase from where the governor started, and I think we all know that we want to get to that direction in the final budget document,” said Sen. Jeremy Cooney, D-Rochester, chair of the Senate Transportation Committee.
The deadline to reach a budget agreement is March 31, ahead of the start of the new fiscal year April 1. But lawmakers said Thursday that a deal is unlikely to be reached by that deadline.
