MTA To Restore M50
When the MTA was forced to cut service last June due to severe budget issues, bus riders were the hardest hit in terms of the amount of service cut or lost. One of those lines cut was the M50 which lost weekend service.
This past Monday, the MTA announced it was restoring weekend service on the line much to the delight of the thousands of riders who fought for it. Serena Solomon of DNA Info has more:
The MTA will restore weekend service on the M50, a popular crosstown bus line, reversing a controversial decision made last year, the agency announced Monday.
Service on the route, which runs east to west along 49th and 50th streets from Twelfth to First avenues, was scaled back by budget cuts. But after more than 4,000 residents signed a petition calling for service restoration, the MTA brought it back.
But the route will be shortened, and evening service will not be restored. The M50 used to turn on Second Avenue and head down to East 42nd Street, where it would turn and then head back north along First Avenue. But under the new plan, all stops below East 48th Street will be eliminated.
The savings generated by that change will pay for the restored service.
More than 4,000 residents signed a petition organized by Rep. Carolyn Maloney to have the weekend route reinstated after it was eliminated as part of a series of public transport cutbacks throughout the city.
Click here for the complete report.
This is a positive sign that the MTA listened to its riders & explored how it could benefit them without hurting their bottom line. I also feel this is a lesson that riders should note so they can fight for better mass transit not just in their neighborhood but the entire region.
xoxo Transit Blogger
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a comment