"Budget Shortfalls Put Mass Transit At Risk Across US"

"Major transportation systems are cutting bus and rail service in an effort to stay afloat." 

"Transit agencies have been warning for years that the twin problems of diminished ridership and rising costs could send entire public transportation systems into a tailspin.

Now, some worry that day has come.

The most drastic cuts have unfolded across metro Philadelphia, where the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority nixed 20 percent of its service as Democratic and Republican lawmakers wrangled over a deal to close the system’s $213 million budget. In response to a court order, officials Monday approved tapping into the system’s budget for capital improvements to reverse the cuts — but they warn that without a durable fix, more cuts will come.

Philadelphia is hardly alone. Dallas Area Rapid Transit is considering the most drastic service cuts in its 40-year history. The Chicago Transit Authority warns it faces a 40 percent service cut unless state lawmakers pass new funding. Portland, Oregon’s TriMet system is phasing in a 10 percent service cut through August 2027."