Opinion: Transit Agencies Must View Service Cuts as Last Resort

Writing in Bloomberg CityLab, David Zipper argues that, despite imminent budget shortfalls, American public transit agencies should do all they can to avoid cutting service.

Cuts should be a last resort, Zipper argues, because once transit systems lose riders to car ownership, it’s much harder to gain them back. “For transit agencies, it’s a disaster if a regular rider cobbles together enough money to buy an automobile.” Service cuts, even more so than fare increases, are more likely to motivate people to shift modes.

Many U.S. transit agencies face massive funding gaps and few options. “Ideally, an influx of new state, regional or local funding can narrow budget gaps enough for systems to at least maintain what service they currently offer.” However, Zipper warns that by cutting service and losing more passengers, systems are even less likely to regain ridership in the future.