Cuts in bus services to be restored

By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Transportation Writer

Beginning tomorrow, city bus service will be restored to the level it was before cuts were made in June, officials said Friday.

The city also announced changes to its schedule for processing of senior and disabled bus passes and new identification cards. The biggest change is that the cards and passes will not be sold at the Neal Blaisdell Center this week as previously announced.

Express bus service will be beefed up again on 18 routes, said Cheryl Soon, director of the city Department of Transportation Services.

The June cutbacks were made in anticipation of a reduction in city financing for bus operations. Further service cuts proposed for August were one of the prime reasons leading to a 34-day strike by bus drivers and other workers.

The strike ended Sept. 29, but city officials were not able to immediately restore full service until new schedules for drivers could be posted.

Fliers that describe the full-service schedule will be handed out on the buses; schedules also are available on TheBus Web site under the routes and schedules section (thebus.org/route/route.asp).

City officials said senior citizens and disabled bus riders should try to go to the processing centers nearest them to obtain bus passes and ID cards. They have until Nov. 1 before their old passes expire.

The city will institute a "number" system at shopping centers and community sites to help smooth the process. By providing an estimate on when people will be served, applicants will be able to shop or run errands until their processing time is called, officials said.