Dive Brief:
- A New York state judge issued a temporary restraining order Thursday preventing the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority from eliminating bus runs and trips in three boroughs and ordering the transit agency to restore service that existed prior to July 12.
- The order came in response to a lawsuit filed July 17 by the Transport Workers Union of America Local 100, New York City’s public advocate and a bus rider from Brooklyn. The suit alleges that the MTA cut bus runs in Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx in violation of the state Public Authorities Law, which requires a 30-day notice to city lawmakers of nonemergency bus service reductions.
- The MTA pushed back on the accusations, according to ABC7 New York. The transit agency said that because the cuts were due to unforseen circumstances, notably a high number of employees calling out, the notice was not required.
Dive Insight:
The plaintiffs argue in their petition to the court that the MTA canceled additional bus runs out of each depot starting around July 12, and they allege that the cuts derive from the indefinite pause to New York’s congestion pricing plan, ordered by Gov. Kathy Hochul on June 5 and ratified by the MTA board of directors on June 26.
The plan was set to toll most vehicles entering Manhattan at or below 60th Street beginning June 30. It was anticipated to raise about $1 billion annually, which would be leveraged through bonds to generate $15 billion toward the MTA’s capital investments. Halting the program has already threatened the planned expansion of the Second Avenue subway to 125th Street and led to negative credit-watch warnings from Moody’s and S&P.
In response to the restraining order, MTA Communications Director Tim Minton said in a statement, “We will continue to deliver a high level of service — still with no changes to routes or schedules — as we look forward to getting to the merits of this case in court as soon as possible.”
But the New Yorkers suing the MTA for alleged bus service cuts say the agency has the money to run full bus service now.
“The MTA possesses more than sufficient resources to maintain current services — but chooses to withhold them, exacerbating hardships during a heat wave and displaying complete disregard for commuter safety,” said TWU Local 100 President Richard Davis in a statement.
The MTA outlined a plan to address the recent heat wave on July 15, which states that buses and operators will be on standby to support subways or for emergency service and that all buses will be inspected to ensure that their air conditioning systems are functional.
More legal actions could be coming based on the governor’s move to halt the tolling plan. New York City Comptroller Brad Lander has mobilized a coalition of environmental, transportation and other groups to develop a legal strategy to restore the congestion pricing plan, according to The New York Times. Lander has organized a legal team and may file one or more suits in the coming weeks, StreetsblogNYC reported Thursday.
