Those of you who ditch the office for the weekend at 3 p.m. on Fridays on the pretense of "picking up some of those sour candy straws": the MTA is on to you. A recent report co-authored by an MTA researcher shows that bus service on Fridays between noon and 3 p.m. experiences a "mini-surge," but drops off later in the evening for a 5% total dip in customers. Naturally, the implication is that the agency could cut or "adjust" Friday bus service and save $13 million. more ›

In case the MTA hasn't been pulling enough crap to make your commute hellish lately, don't you worry—their latest stunt is sure to make your blood boil, no matter where you live. The agency has taken it upon itself to declare a series of "minor holidays," like the weekdays after Christmas and the Friday after Thanksgiving, during which they'll run fewer trains during the morning and evening rushes. Oh, Happy Festivus? more ›

Last year, to the dismay of many, the MTA made some serious service cuts (nixing dozens of bus routes and two subway lines) in the name of keeping saving $93 million in its $12.6 billion budget. Yesterday MTA board members Mitch Pally and Allen Cappelli tried to introduce an amendment that would have restored some of those services for a mere $20 million—nice Christmas gift, right? Not so fast. The rest of the MTA finance committee smacked down the idea in a 7-2 vote. Maybe next year? more ›

The MTA has released more information on the new cuts to service on the New Haven Metro-North line. MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan tells us the new schedules are up on the Metro-North website, and that "on weekdays, off-peak schedules remain the same as under the current timettable. On weekends, a Sunday Schedule will be in effect for Saturdays as well as Sundays." That doesn't sound as bad as the cuts could be, but commuters and MTA workers are still shocked that they even happened. more ›

Just as the M15's select bus service had us believing that the MTA and its budget finally had quality service at heart, the Post reports that a committee is voting on cutting service on 40 bus lines. In the proposal [pdf], 40 of 64 bus schedule changes would "represent reductions in service levels to more closely align service with customer demand," which would ideally save the agency $300,000 a year. The MTA says the silver lining is that the less-frequent buses would arrive on time more often. They'll accept your thanks any time now. more ›

As much as we complain about the G train, we may not be giving the Upper West Side its due. According to the 13th annual Straphangers Campaign "State of the Subways" report, the C is the worst train in the city for the second year in the row. Though you're more likely to find a seat on the C during rush hour, it's dirty, performs next to worse on in-car announcements, and breaks down more often than the average line. Here are some other findings: more ›

Yesterday, city officials rolled out five van services to take over canceled bus routes through Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan. And though New Yorkers are still frothing over the MTA service cuts, those taking the van services say they're generally not bad. One passenger said the $2-a-ride price tag was pretty good, "but I buy a MetroCard, so there’s no point in paying more." more ›

Though the trip from East Flatbush ranked #1 for the worst neighborhood from which to commute earlier this year, the recent MTA service cuts could be giving it a run for its money. Not only is it taking longer, but many commuters are having a harder time finding a seat. One told NY1, "Forget about that. What seat? You have to be very strategic and find maybe the very back of the train or the very front of the train and position yourself in such a way so you can jockey for position." Psh, savvy straphangers have been pulling that trick for years. more ›

Man, the MTA never lets anyone else get in on the fun of driving people along predetermined routes. Joel Azumah's company TransportAzumah, which has been shuttling people along a few Doomsday affected bus routes, was shut down yesterday after Manhattan Supreme Court judge signed the Law Department's request for a temporary restraining order against the entrepreneur. The Law Department said in a statement, "The operator has been running an unauthorized bus line, and safety is the city's paramount priority." What about the priority of running public transportation successfully? more ›

So here's how it went down with that MTA bus driver who got punched in the face by a rider dissatisfied with the quality of his commute. According to driver Gilberto Davila, the situation devolved pretty quickly after he stopped to let on Jason Ferreira, 22, in Bensonhurst Monday morning. Not long after boarding, Ferreira asked if the bus had arrived at Flatbush Avenue yet, prompting Davila to laugh and tell him that since the bus had only traveled two blocks, Flatbush was still at least 20 blocks away. "That's why you goddamn bus drivers always get beat up," Ferreira "exploded," according to Davila's account in the Daily News. (They also get spat upon and stabbed, too.) more ›

So! How have you been "processing" the MTA's "doomsday" service changes, which were finally implemented yesterday? Taking it like a man non-gender specific human, or finally giving up on life? While most of us were grumbling along in the standard New Yorker "Unbelievable!" default position, police say one B6 bus rider, Jason Ferreira, 22, of Brooklyn, let his fists do the bitching. more ›

The W and V train cuts have been getting most of the MTA doomsday attention, so the Daily News decided to take a look at changes upsetting residents in Whitestone. The Q15A bus was created as an alternate route of the Q15 bus to help those stranded by the Q14 elimination. The bus goes down a residential stretch of 10th Avenue, and locals say the street isn't wide enough. One asked the Daily News, "A fire truck, usually the first response for a heart attack, how are they gonna get by?" more ›

The MTA has brought the pain today, as weekday commuters are getting their first taste of the new "Doomsday" service cuts. The W and V trains passed behind the curtain of eternity this weekend, making their final runs on Friday, accompanied by farewell parties. The Q is extending to Astoria to replace the W, while the new orange M train has replaced the V in Forest Hills and Manhattan before swinging into Brooklyn via the Williamsburg Bridge. All told, 15 subway lines will be affected, with the number of trains cut back, and as a result, three million people are expected to have to wait for a train for up to two extra minutes, the AP reports. Clearly, we're doomed. more ›

Not to be outdone by the V train's party, straphangers gathered on Friday night to bid farewell to the beloved, short lived W train on its last ride from Whitehall Street to Ditmars Boulevard. Over 75 riders drank pina coladas and sang along to songs like "Runaway Train," played by party organizer Bill Reese. He told the Post, "We are not going to protest because living well is the best revenge. So, we sing songs, it's like an Irish wake." Well, there was a bit of protesting, as W mourners booed the oncoming Q train at Union Square. more ›

Last night, the short-lived V train took its last ride, and fans from around the city came out to bid it farewell. There were 864 confirmed guests "We Hardly Knew V" facebook event, but we're not sure how many actually showed up. From these pictures, it looks like there was quite a crowd, dressed in orange or in t-shirts with slogans like "Please, Don't Take Our V-Card!" more ›

The MTA is bringing the pain this weekend, with the first of the dreaded doomsday service cuts. Both the V line and the W line will be sent to a nice farm upstate to happily live out the rest of their days. Tomorrow the very last W train will leave Ditmars at 10:17 p.m. and continue to Brooklyn; the MTA says it'll be "replaced" by the N, Q, and R in Manhattan and Queens, but could any train really replace our darling Dubya? And don't even get us started on the V—not here, not now! At least there'll be a farewell party on that last W run (to "commemorate the short, complicated and often pathetic life of our beloved W.") more ›

Those new maps have barely had time to hit the walls, and now the MTA is considering implementing even more service cuts. The possible new cuts, which must be approved on Wednesday by the MTA board, could save the MTA an additional $3.7 million. Bloomberg did warn us. So what could possibly be on the chopping block this time? more ›

After enacting a huge fare hike at the beginning of the month, NJ Transit is now making good on proposed service cuts. The Star-Ledger reports that the agency, "the nation's third-largest provider of bus, rail and light rail transit cut at least two trains from each line. The cuts mean commuters might have a longer wait for trains or find cars more crowded." There has been a 2.6% decrease "in bus, rail and light rail passengers in the first week of the fare hike. Officials had anticipated a drop in ridership of up to 5 percent." more ›

As part of its cuts, the MTA recently mailed out nearly 500 layoff letters to station agents across the city, calling for agents to turn in their badges and uniforms and to attend an "exit session" before the layoffs become official. The layoffs will go into effect on Friday, causing about 70 station booths to close but it will save the MTA $21 million a year. Booth clerk Jhesky Vega, who worked his last shift on Wednesday, told the Daily News, "I'm feeling lost and dazed. I'm walking around like a zombie." more ›

As the MTA's budget continues to look grim, they've begun taking steps towards massive layoffs. They've allegedly filed a required alert with the Labor Department about plans for 750 layoffs, including a majority of workers from the bus division. The bus worker layoffs would go into effect on June 27th, the same day the "doomsday" service cuts are implemented. The rest of the layoffs, mostly subway car inspectors, would be finalized on July 4th. more ›

According to new estimates made by MTA officials yesterday, the broke transit agency may be anywhere from $50 million to $72 million further in debt. That puts the MTA's grand total deficit at somewhere around $450 million, even after implementing service cuts and laying off station agents. WTF MTA? more ›

In advance of widespread transit service cuts planned for June, NYC Transit is getting an early start by terminating G train service between Court Square and Forest Hills, effective April 19th. But the end probably won't feel so bitter for many commuters, because the G infrequently putters along that stretch of track anyway. more ›

Even though the MTA is losing around $8 million a year from bus fare evaders and is thus implementing drastic service cuts, people still aren't paying! Though most bus drivers are guilty of being too lenient on riders who conveniently "forgot" their MetroCards, riders on the Bx12 are guilty of abusing the experimental "honor code" ticket system. The Daily News reports, "Over the course of an hour at each stop, 40 fare-beaters boarded the bus at Fordham Plaza sans tickets; 22 did so near the Pelham Bay IRT subway stop, and 27 at the stop on Pelham Parkway at Williamsbridge Road." more ›

Though the MTA rejected the Working Families Party's request to post their "Service Nightmare" parody ads in the subways, the group has been working hard to get the posters up anyway. They sent a message to their supporters online, saying they will ask the MTA to reverse the decision on free speech grounds and asking followers to sign a petition to back them up. They're also asking supporters on Facebook to post the ad themselves. WFP spokesman Dan Levitan wrote, "what New Yorkers (and the WFP) really want is for the Mayor to step up to the plate and deliver for the millions of transit riders and students who are facing the biggest service cuts in a generation," and he tells us that over 2,300 people have signed the petition in less than 24 hours. more ›

The MTA is not too happy about some recent satirical posters created by the Working Families Party. The posters mock the MTA's service posters with messages like "OMFG: $100/month fares, Services Slashed" and "Service Nightmare: All Day, Every Day." The Daily News reports that transit officials are calling them "offensive, improper or in bad taste," and are worried that riders may confuse them for real service alerts. Because everyone knows about the never ending construction on the WTF lines. more ›

This shouldn't come as much of a surprise. The MTA board voted 11-2 to approve far-reaching service cuts that will eliminate the W and V trains and cut more than 30 bus lines in an attempt to plug a revenue shortfall of $750 million. Despite some alterations to the planned cuts drafted after a series of contentious public hearings, the service reductions closely mirror those proposed last year. more ›

The MTA agreed last night to save 11 previously-condemned bus lines, but the orange V train (est. 2001) was not so lucky. In January the authority hinted that it would create an M/V “mash-up”; now that’s coming into focus with the older M taking over the V train’s orange branding and its stops to Forest Hills-71st Avenue in Queens (the V's lower Manhattan and South Brooklyn service will be eliminated). Look at a map here. Sounds confusing, but the MTA says it's how commuters feel that’s important. Indeed, last year Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz held a mock funeral for the beloved brown train. “People were more comfortable with the M designation, being an older and more historic train designation than the V,” said Charles Seaton, a spokesman for New York City Transit. more ›

Last night's Manhattan public hearing about the MTA's proposed cuts—cutting subway and bus service, eliminating student Metrocards, getting rid of 1,000 workers—was not the chaotic, arrest-filled scene that occurred on Wednesday in Brooklyn. But emotions were just as high, as students, members of the Transport Workers Union, politicians, and others protested outside the Fashion Institute of Technology, with many police officers on hand in case things got heated. more ›

The owner of the Hampton Luxury Liner bus fleet has filed a lawsuit claiming an MTA tax is unconstitutional, because by shelling out, he's being forced to bolster the competition. "This is the first time that I ever had to pay a subsidy directly to my competitor," William Schoolman tells City Room. "That’s the thing that really bothers me." Sure, businesses including his have paid money to the authority for years, but a new payroll tariff has the 64-year-old transportation veteran red in the face. "Boy, it makes me angry to give extra money to the M.T.A," Schoolman gripes. more ›